Andy's Perils
by Okinawa Angel
Summary: Andy had never blamed her father for his name onto his children unlike her brother, the infamous Portgas D. Ace. Different from her brothers, she avoids a life of fighting and piracy but when coerced into the service of the Marines, how will the world of One Piece fare? Mostly light-hearted but some dark content. Gradual Akainu/OC
1. Thunderstruck

Oh damn, I must say it has been ages since I wrote anything but...  
Frankly the lack of fanfiction involving our favorite admirals did bug me enough to make me write on this insomniac time [I blame Facebook's Castle Age Arena 7... If you are unfortunately enough to know what I'm talking about, you have my sympathies]

I hope that the creative juices involved in creating this story keep flowing and inspire me to keep writing more and to finish off my other stories X_X

Read & review if you enjoy and:  
**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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Chapter 1: Thunderstruck

Foosha Village held residents of notice and often, visitors of great notice and as such, the great lumbering form of a Vice-Admiral was indeed eyebrow raising. Dadan, leisurely walking, protected the area and knew of this imposing Marine but simply smiled as Garp approached a homey little cottage that had a small garden and a tiny fence.

The glass of the window shattered in the background as the door endured a barrage of knocks. "Wake up my little Andy! You have to help me track your idiot brother!"

The petite brunette sighed as she emerged from a blanket depicting a skull and a spade she then blew a lock of hair out of her freckled face. Glancing to the window, now cracked, she saw the smiling mug of her adoptive grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. Nodding to him, she rose from the couch where she had been crashing after chasing down Luffy the night prior. "So much for having a moment of rest" Slipping her feet into a pair of black sandals, Andy slipped on a steel locket that she held for a moment of peace. After another knock, she opened the door then stepped outside her modest cottage to her grandfather.

"I don't know where that brat is! The villagers haven't seen him and today is important after all." Andy rolled her soft, brown eyes at his forgetfulness.

"He most likely fell asleep at Sabo's grave again and forgot to come back in the morning." Garp's eyes widening and the guilty look upon his face confirmed her suspicions as she motioned towards a cliff where they knew kept the grave in question. Nobles really could be even crueler than the nastiest bastards that the lowest of low pirates could spawn and Sabo's tragedy as Ann and Garp had referred to it only solidified the belief. Unfortunately in Garp's eyes, that had started to fuel the fire of Ace and Luffy's pirating dreams. "Let's stop by the pub for a moment. Luffy likely forgot to grab anything for breakfast or ate it with his dinner." Nodding in approval as he himself was rather famished, the duo headed towards a little pub which held quite a bit of memories for the pair.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

It was a week after Shanks' crew had left and the town was quiet, a circumstance most unusual to the residents of the sleepy village but they knew it would likely stay quiet if not for the rambling of a few children. "Luffy-kun, you can't keep training nonstop forever. You won't catch Shanks if you are worn ragged." The young Luffy attempted to glare from under his straw hat at the older nosy girl, albeit by three years but that was years enough to be wiser. "I told you I'd help but if you always sleep majorly late to sleep and too early to wake, you won't have any energy for anything but eating."

Luffy's laughter however made her crack a smile. "Silly Andy-san, I don't know why you want to help but ok!" The girl smiled as she held up a basket full of food, fully intent on feeding the scrawny child.

"I wish my twin was as sweet as you." Luffy's eyes widened as he paused in reaching for the basket.

"If your twin is mean, I'm going to beat them up!" She smiled softly and shook her head.

"It's not his fault. I love my brother and he loves me but he can't help but be angry at what he can never change." Luffy chewed contemplatively on a rice ball while Andy sighed. "Luffy, promise me something," he nodded as he finished off the food in his hand. "Make a good name for yourself Luffy. Our names will stick with us forever, dog our steps, haunt our nightmares and herald our chase to our dream." His head tilted, in confusion or in the midst of a philosophical moment, she was unsure of but chose to continue. "Make your name known Luffy and make it a name to inspire as well as to fear."

He young boy grinned and said, "Assuming I won't be ordinary?" She shook her head with a small smirk.

"Since when have the D. men been ordinary?" When Luffy motioned towards her, she laughed loudly. "I'm not exciting like you. I'm happy being in the background."

Luffy shook his head and pointed at her heart. "You told me to make my name known but I doubt yours will go unknown.'

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-End Flashback-

* * *

Luffy, sure enough, was curled up a respectable distance from the small grave. Although shivering, he somehow was able to sleep but yet, his twitching nose made him wake up. "Mmmm, Andy? You got food? Oh hi gramps!" He sleepily waved to Garp and glanced at Sabo's grave. "I stayed up talking to Sabo. I think he'd want to know that Ace up and left to get that dream of his done! Soon I'll join him and Sabo will be proud." Ann put her hand on the grave and Luffy went to dig into the small breakfast.

"He would be proud of both of you," her voice mumbled as she laid a bouquet of wildflowers, freshly picked, next to the grave.

Luffy hugged her from behind and she laughed feeling the loaf of bread he was gnawing on crumble in his grip. "He's proud of you too big sis." She smiled as she ruffled his hair.

"Not as much as I am and don't get me started on Gramps," pointedly motioning towards Garp who was partaking in the meal.

Laughing despite the food, Garp nodded his agreement as Luffy looked out into the ocean. "Sis, when I leave to become king of the pirates, can you come with me?"

She shook her head and ruffled Luffy's hair. "I can't pick between brothers. Tis only fair that if I don't go with Ace that I don't go with you Luffy." He pouted and a sad smile graced her face. "I can't fight like you two anyway. I'd hold you back."

"Nu uh! You took down that guy touching your butt at the bar the other day." Garp paused in mid-bite to glance at Andy who shrugged.

"Luffy, kicking that thug in the groin doesn't not make me a fighter." Before he could start a fuss she hugged him, "Look little mister, I will visit you AND Ace but I'm not pirate material."

Garp then roared, "And you better visit me too you little scamp."

Luffy took off running, "Bye Sabo!" and Andy giggled as Garp chased him with his fists shaking.

"I hope some things never change," she said to herself but as she looked at the gravestone, polished by Luffy the night prior, she saw her reflection stare back at her. If she shoved her hair under a hat, she could easily pass for her brother. Taking a quick look at her two companions, she rolled her eyes to see them wrestling in the ground and herself, she opted to sit next to the grave and put her hand on the stone. "Hi Sabo-kun, I know we didn't talk much but…" The wind stilled eerily and taking a deep breath, she continued. "I, Gol D. Andrea swear that I will protect our brothers with my life."

Lightning flashed in the distance and Andy counted how long it would take for thunder to sound in order to try to determine the distance this sudden storm was but before she could get to "two seconds", another lightning bolt struck the grave and she flinched when it was over as quickly as it happened. She did not even realized she had screamed or that she was still touching the grave until Garp picked her up off the ground. He quickly slung Luffy onto his shoulder and they took off. Even with him running back to the village, wind whipping in their faces, she did not feel the blood on her palm. Her eyes were wide with terror and her ears ringing with Luffy's startled shouts.


	2. Romance Daybreak

****Whooo! Thanks Slytherin Studios for being my first review on this story since my re-emergence 3  
Anyway, the creative juices are still a going so hopefully, I'll be able to post more chapters soon :D

Now onto business: read & review if you like and **I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 2: Romance Daybreak**

Makino stood with Andy, trying to support the crying woman as Luffy stood proudly letting his older sister cry over him for what might be the last time for a while. "It'll be ok big sis, I'll be pirate king then you can ride around on my ship then you can visit Ace unless…" Andrea's tears slowed to a few muffled sniffs as she took in the sight of her proud baby brother. "You could always join me now and skip the whole waiting and visiting phase!"

Scoffing, the emotional woman flicked him on the forehead and ignored his hurt pout. "I told you already, it's not fair to you or Ace if I pick one of you to go with."

"Awwwwwww, he doesn't have to know until he meets up with us!" Facepalming with a slight smirk, she opened her handbag. "What's with the snail sis?"

"Luffy… you astound me sometimes," Andy deadpanned as she placed the tiny Baby Den Den Mushi [Portable Transponder Snail] to her brother. "Remember, this is similar to the one I gave Ace when he left and I have one."

"Oh… so we all have snails!" Andy sighed at Luffy's lack of deduction.

"Luffy… you are so going to give me an aneurism." Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"But you can't wrap an… umm… an annor-rhyy-izm." Makino cracked up while Andrea's mouth stayed open, not knowing what to say.

"What she means Luffy is that you all can call each other." Andrea nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah then you can call our Gramps too when you stop being such a dumbass."

Luffy looked taken aback for a moment. "The other day you said I was a smartass, not a dumbass!"

Handing her brother a small bag of supplies into which she deposited the Baby Den Den Mushi into, she laughed. "Today has proved you need more education to be a smart ass." Before he could open his mouth to retort, she shoved a rice ball into it. "Now remember my brother, I love you, be careful and remember to use that filter that stops your mouth from saying things your brain has not seen."

Luffy grinned and hugged her. "And I'll become king of the pirates and you'll have to visit me and Ace all the time!" Nodding, Luffy started waving to the chief and other villagers who had accompanied the siblings to the shore. "Bye bye everyone! Take care and don't let Andy scare everyone away!"

When she turned around, red faced and ready to smack him, Luffy took off running into his small boat. With a final wave, he smirked and started laughing as she frantically waved. "Bye Luffy! If you do something too dumb, I'll kick your butt or worse, I'll tell Ace!" Hearing this, the rubber man started rowing away quickly as the villagers chuckled. Plopping on the ground, she stared out to sea.

The village chief patted Andrea on the shoulder quietly as she sighed. "You know it is a few days before any actual ship gets here and there's no guarantee that the Marine ship that usually patrols around here will even take a civilian to another island.

Shrugging off the hand, she gave a small smile. "No offense but nothing is really here for me and…" she took a long look at the sea before them, "I need to find a dream like my brothers. I may not be a fighter or a pirate but I need to find a dream that is my own." She stood tall, even without heels, her unnatural height made her easier taller than Luffy but she had no idea about Ace. "Damn asshole doesn't call near as much as he should," she muttered to herself. Looking down at the village chief, she glanced momentarily back towards where Luffy was now a small speck in the distance.

"Worry later about him. You might as well prepare for your own travels." Nodding, she turned away from the coast attempting to blink her tears away. "Trouble wouldn't be trouble with just Luffy stirring it up."

Smirking, she jokingly flipped off the chief as she sauntered back home. The walk back to the little cottage was done without much ceremony until she hit her head on a low branch. "Oh fuck!" she rubbed her forehead and ducked around the next branch. "Why did I have to have this damn growth spurt all of a sudden? I swear I was done growing and now I doubt Ace would recognize me." Contemplating how she would torture her twin if such a situation occurred, she completely missed the darkening sky and the shadow tailing her.

Five minutes of walking continued like this: her walking for a good ten paces and pausing. Her stalker cursed loudly. "That damn girl needs to stop stopping and just go… How am I supposed to report back on her activity?" A crunch of leaves in front of me made him pause and he spied an unusual scar on right palm that looked like a rather severe burn almost encompassing the palm. "What the…?"

She had disappeared from his sight and in his desperate attempt to find her, he about wet himself when he felt cold, sharp steel against his neck and a small voice whispering to him. "Why are you following me?"

Turning around quickly, the man was truly intimidated by her height up close but also her looks. Her black hair hung in loose waves framing her face, soft freckles spotted on her cheeks and brown soft eyes taking in his visage. "Um… I was told to follow you?"

Sighing and rolling her eyes upwards, she looked towards the sky as she sheathed her knife slowly. "I trade my idiot brother for an idiot stalker so it seems." The Marine was getting really nervous. Seeing the man wet himself, she sat down on the grass in front of him. "Look, I have no idea why you're following me and you yourself obviously don't know. I know that there is a Marine ship to come by in a few days for supplies." The Marine spy nodded as he was still firmly entrenched in fear. "I wish to book passage to the nearest city with civilian ships. I am able to do so? Money is no object to me."

Nodding frantically the Marine hastened with his answer, "Yes Miss, you can. It would be preferable in fact to me spying from a distance. Then all the Marines can assess why you are so tall."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion she wanted to laugh until she saw the Marine's straight face. "My height is the reason I'm being investigated?"

Looking away awkwardly, he muttered softly not really believing it himself, "Lots of powerful people are tall Miss…?"

"Andy. Just call me Andy." As easygoing and lax as this Marine spy was, Andrea was not going to let her guard down or reveal too much information. Names had great power in this world after all: the right name could make grown men wet themselves and the wrong ones could see one to prison. "You'll be staying in Party's Bar. It's a nice little bar ran by the villagers and they happen to have some rooms there are good memories there…" The Marine was about to relax when he was on the receiving end of a vicious glare. "Wreck just one thing Spy-san and your balls will be hanging more loosely than normal." To emphasize her point, she unsheathed the dagger she had to his neck moments earlier.

Nodding vigorously, she motioned for him to follow her to the small village and while pointing out the sights, he would ask an occasional question that if she deemed worth an answer, she would oblige. One question stuck out to the Marine and he just felt compelled to ask. "Andy-san, why do you want to leave the island?"

Looking over the quaint village, she smiled softly as her expression eased up. "Nothing is her for me now. My family has moved on so I wish to travel and find my way." Leading him into the bar, she motioned to a chair. "Makino-san should be back from the shore momentarily. When the ship is almost here, just knock at the house at the end of the northern road towards the mountain." The Marine spy nodded solemnly and waved goodbye. He had no problem with these instructions for even though he was slightly incompetent and not even remotely a good fighter, he had excellent memorization skills and had picked at distinctive house that matched the description she gave, while they were walking.

He looked around and noticing no one now, he opened the bag he had and placed a rather big Den Den Mushi onto the wooden table. The snail was wearing a Marine hat with a rather grumpy, solemn expression. Opening its mouth, the deep voice spoke to him, "Report."

Exhaling in relief that he was not going to be lectured, he spoke eagerly. "The girl in question is here and is seeking a ship to leave. In fact, she asked if she could ride upon our ship to another island where she may charter a civilian ship. If we do this, we can watch her!" The snail had frowned at his over-enthusiasm and opened its mouth again.

"Very good. Watch her and make the arrangements. We have little to no information on this girl and she is just too damn unusual. Anything else you noticed?"

Swallowing nervously, the spy massaged his temples. "Well, she threatened me with a knife but wasn't proficient in using it. When she caught me, she accidentally cut her hand in taking away the knife away from my neck."

The Den Den Mushi growled slightly, "I'll ignore the fact that my spy had a knife put to his neck. Wrap this up."

"Only other thing I can remember sir is a burn on her right palm. It looked… warm."

"Warm?" The snail went quiet for a moment. "Things cannot appear to have a temperature. Our knowledge tells us things have a temperature and we assume things but…"

"Sir I'm telling you what I felt and that's it for my report. See you in a few days, goodbye!" Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, the spy saw a brief moment of shock on the snail before it fell asleep. At this moment, the bartender that Andy had described earlier came through the bar and went to fetch him a drink. Glancing down at the snail, he sighed. "I'm so fucked when that boat gets here."


	3. They Call Her Andy

Been getting quite a few chapters written up for this, hope you all like it! :D

Please remember: read, follow, favorite and/or review if you like and I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 3: They Call Her Andy**

Andy woke up in a cold sweat at the dream she just had. Groaning she sat up and tried to recall all she could before it could escape her. It was just a couple days since Luffy had left and Andrea was not taking it too well although she knew that this was long coming. She also gave it a week tops before Garp would head down there to berate her for letting another of her brothers become a pirate instead of convincing them to be nice Marines.

"Speaking of Marines…" she glanced out her window to look at Foosha Village and wondered when the spy was coming to bug her again. The last few days he had come to her house and just bugged her with questions. Getting into the way of her cleaning her house and packing for the trip had annoyed Andy enough to where she had tried to rope him into chores and then he was nowhere to be seen. Heading to her small kitchen, she started hunting for food. The kitchen was rather sparse as she had given most of her food to Luffy and because of her plans to leave, did not want too much food to spoil.

Before she could reach for more than a small meat bun, a couple soft knocks caught her attention. Taking a nibble of the bun, she opened the door to see the spy looking quite frantic. "Andy-san, the boat will be here within an hour! I just found out so please don't be mad."

Her eyes widened as she dragged out the couple bags she had prepared for the moment. Taking a moment to finish her meat bun, she tossed the smaller of the two bags to the spy who caught it with difficulty. "Alright then but let me drop off my key to Makino-san."

Nodding his understanding, the pair set off towards the bar.

-Meanwhile-

There was much shuffling around in the small base. Shell Town was under much needed chaos as Axe-Hand Morgan had his ass handed to him and the civilians were against the corruption that his 'dictatorship' had brought. Coby himself was very pleased at being included into this hustle and bustle as about anything was better than working for Alvida. "I wonder how Luffy is doing."

More Marines dashed around and Coby sighed knowing there was even more work to do. While Shell Town was under Morgan's vice like grip, the townspeople as well as Marines were in fear to the point even Helmeppo admitted there were some things that just went too far such as going to execute a small child. Helmeppo and Coby had been tasked to ready guest rooms since a Marine boat was coming over soon and while normally it would not be a big deal, a Marine Admiral visiting a small, minor town always caused a buzz.

-Foosha Town-

Andy and the spy waited on the coast the minute they saw the boat on the horizon. All the villagers had stayed in town as they usually did unless they specifically knew that Garp was aboard. Like with pirates, Marines had both good and bad eggs so it was natural for the little village's residents to not take chances. The Marine spy looked over at the brunette and sighed, "You have nothing to worry about."

Raising a thin eyebrow, she gave a sideways glance to him. "What do you mean? I was getting stalked for being tall."

Laughing in fear as the ship approached the man admitted, "But you didn't hang up on Admiral Akainu."

Andrea's heart dropped and her eyes widened. "You never mentioned an admiral being onboard yet alone that man." Her thoughts were racing rapidly. _Oh shit, not good not good at all. Especially with what Grandpa told me, he'll likely know about me. Ace… Luffy, I'm so glad you two are out of here. _Closing her eyes for a moment in an attempt to gain composure, she cleared her throat. "Am I in trouble?"

He shook his head. "As I said earlier Andy-san, I'll likely be in trouble. They'll just be observing you to see if you're a threat."

A real laugh erupted from her for the first time since Luffy left. "I didn't know height was one looked at to determine a threat." The spy looked away as they noticed the boat lower anchor. "Well, Spy-san, if you do get in trouble, it would be nice to know your name."

Smiling grimly he shook his head. "It's better or they'll think you did something to me and you'll be in danger. I don't think you're dangerous or nothing." Noting the raising eyebrow and twitchy eye, he tried to think best how to fix his statement. "No offense but I doubt you are the threat they imply you to be."

Several small boats were now heading there way, the largest in front seating a rather imposing large man. Andy felt fear grip her body and even though she was not a fighter, she was far from stupid or incompetent as Garp had managed to instill common sense into her. "And no offense but," she briefly glanced at the spy who was now shaking in fear, "I am a threat. The question is how big of a threat do they see me as." After sighing, she looked down at her feet as she was debating how to act in this situation and most importantly, to keep a cool head.

The leading boat had now touched the beach with all the underlings scrambling about to properly escort the admiral. Ceremony was a big part of being an officer in the Marines and with such a high rank in such a desolate area, it was almost expected. The admiral noticed the two on the shore: his spy looking ready to faint but the girl was different than what he expected.

He expected a fiery individual from the information gathered but yet she seemed subdued. Lifting his hat slightly to get a proper view of her, he spoke loudly, "Girl, what is your name?"

Her head snapped up and he got a glance into her brown eyes that stared hard and intensely into him. "My name is Andy, I am shorter than you and hence not as big as a threat so please allow me passage onto the boat and we can forget that the World Government measures power in height."

Although he did take in her height, he raised an eyebrow in interest. "Your height is but one small thing of notice to the World Government but what really is important is your name, Gol D. Andrea." The spy's eyes had bulged and he promptly fainted while Akainu's underlings had started to panic. "Now I am told there is a nearby bar. Let's get to business after lunch."

The imposing man started walking while the lower Marines were fretting about the smaller boats, still in a panic from the revelation of the woman they were going to escort. When Andrea did not follow immediately, he gave a momentary glance back and motioned with his head to follow. "Please call me Andy. My whole name gets an unpleasant reaction a good portion of the time." Giving a nonchalant shrug, she knew that was as good as a response as she was going to get and started to follow him.


	4. Marine Admiral Akainu

Read & review :D  
**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 4: Marine Admiral Akainu **

Andy was anxious, her right foot tapping erratically as the admiral was eating a beef stew quietly. Despite this, she could feel an intense gaze on her when earlier she had signaled Makino for a drink. Unease flooded her body at his stare as well as intense fear. The bar felt deathly quiet and Andy swore she could hear a pin drop when the heavy spoon hit the bowl and his voice reached her ears, "You realize this entire village could be leveled for the crimes committed by all the towns folk. Crimes you also committed Andrea."

She gulped audibly and noticed people leaving the bar immediately after Akainu's proclamation but yet, he did not step up to stop them nor did she see any Marine stop them. "I didn't realize living was a crime Admiral. Caring for my family makes me a criminal because of our name. My father being a criminal instantly makes me guilty. So Admiral Akainu, how would you judge me for living my life?"

Sipping some tea he had been given along with the stew, he put down the tea and looked her dead in the eyes. "Guilty. So young but still so guilty. You know your lineage but yet did nothing to try to rectify this."

Standing up suddenly, Andy notices that everyone has left the bar, even Makino. Her fists are clenched tightly and she does not realize she is bleeding from her fingernails digging into her palms. "I will do anything to protect them. Why do you think I didn't join my brother's crew? I know of Ace's exploits plenty and…" A smirk grew onto her face as she stared into the admiral's narrowed eyes and angry expression. "He turned down the offer to join Shichibukai. How angry you must feel that Gol. D Roger's blood thwarts you in his children."

The bulky man's jaw clenches as his arm reaches towards her and his hand fists around her hair making her squawk in pain. "You don't understand the mindset of the Admirals, Marines or the World Government it appears." He tightened his grip on her hair and slams her face into the table making it splinter. Tears of pain sting the young woman's eyes as she tries to hit his arm to let go but it feels way harder than a human's arm should be. "And you really aren't a fighter after all. Such a shame to the Will of D. but so utterly appropriate that a pretty little girl is just that: a simple pretty little girl."

Marines start shuffling into the bar as Akainu pulls upwards making Andy squirm in pain as blood covers her face. Before the admiral can resume taunting her, her eyes flash open and it felt like a surge of power erupted from her. The lesser men around them in the bar started frothing at the mouth and only a couple remained conscious and although interesting in itself, her palm attempting to pull his hand out of her hair was interesting in himself because he started feeling pain despite his Armament Haki being in place. When he let go, Andy fell to the ground on her knees, rubbing her scalp in relief while he looked at his hand.

The simplest things often caught his attention and somehow, there was a rather prominent burn on his forearm where she had previously gripped him. The arm that grabbed him, the hand to be exact, happened to be the scarred hand. Looking around at the men around them and the whimpering female brought a sneer to the admiral's face. "I have a proposition for you Andrea."

Glaring up at him, eyelashes dripping blood and eyes shimmering with pained tears, she stands up shakily. "Leave this village alone."

Holding out a napkin to clean off her face, he smiled. The kind expression unnerved the brunette more than the gesture itself but she took the napkin. "You'll find it rather easier than expected to negotiate with me. Now, we have a situation in Shell Town. That idiot Morgan got deposed and while we are thankful upon finding out that he was rather cruel to the populous," his expression darkened again. "The fact a young pirate caused the commotion that did so and is seen favorably rather than the Marines is unforgiveable."

Feeling her small, tender nose that looked crooked to her, she glanced up. "What of this pirate?"

"He has a straw hat and apparently, a rubbery body." A smile lit up on Andy's face but it was cut short when her nose was tapped by a rather imposing finger. "I can attempt to fix this for you so the medic has less work."

Nodding and smiling her thanks despite the blood, the cruel way he smirked creeped her out while he jerked her nose sharply to straighten it.

-Meanwhile-

Luffy and Zoro were chilling in the small boat when Luffy's stomach rumbled. After being reprimanded by Zoro for a lack of navigational skills despite his own failings as a navigator, Luffy rolled his eyes. "You remind of my big sister with your worrying."

Zoro raised a green eyebrow but before Luffy could explain, he pointed upwards at a bird. "You can't get that to eat, idiot."

Grinning widely, he flung his arms back. "You haven't seen my specialty!"

A moment later, Zoro began to row frantically while Luffy's face went oddly blank despite being carried by the beak with that very face. _I am so not telling Andy about this._

-Back at Foosha Village-

Andy may not have been able to swim due to being scared of the water but she did enjoy boats. Being rowed in this boat however by men scared to death of her while sitting next to one of the fiercest admirals did not sit easy with her. The bar had been near ruined and feeling guilty, she had left some of the beri that was supposed to buy supplies and charter a ship behind to help pay for it. It was not like she needed money to charter a ship now.

Akainu was, is, and forever to her will be the epitome of cruelty. She did not understand how one moment he was threatening her and her home over the fact of who her parents were and the next moment… "Your eyebrow is bleeding again." Before she could respond, a clean bandage was pressed onto her forehead by the bored admiral as he tipped down his trademark cap over his face. The sun beamed down strongly but she sat there holding the bandage in surprise before his deep voice spoke again. "The point of a bandage is to be wrapped around wounds."

Mumbling a soft apology, she wrapped her wound just as they reached the main boat and boarded. He motioned to a cabin that was to be hers for the trip then disappeared into his own before she could ask a question. Looking around, the men and occasional woman worked like clockwork to get the ship moving. It was only a moment later before Foosha Village was but a speck on the horizon.

"Oi there girlie. You're supposed to help us in the mess hall. Admiral's orders," shouted a stout, pale man with stains on an apron. She nodded while walking to the ship's kitchen.

Helping on the ship may be a good deal for passage but would they really let her go afterwards? Akainu was not specific at all in how she was supposed to keep her village and possibly her brothers safe but she felt this was not as simple as scrubbing dishes and peeling potatoes. Marines were lead by the nose by the World Government after all and the Admirals did hold up those ideals with chilling efficiency. Akainu was the pinnacle of cruelty with Ohara being the prime example.

A soft touch on the shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts but what really got her attention was the voice in her ear. "Move along Andy-san. You've been blocking the door to the mess hall for a few moments." The bored expression of said cruel admiral startled her at his proximately while he walked into the room as if nothing happened. Andy followed in awaiting orders from the chef while wondering her brothers' whereabouts.


	5. Friend

I'm glad to have gotten quite a few chapters cranked out :D  
Hardest part for me is that I often think about this story while I drive and one cannot simply drive and type at the same time T_T

Read, follow, favorite and/or review if you like [they give me warm fuzzies] and I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 5: Friend**

A knock to the door of Admiral Akainu's cabin snapped him out of the inner peace he had from trimming his bonsai. It was so orderly, so well taken care of that he wondered at times why the world was not like his little, humble bonsai. The World Government and Marines should have been the hands to trim away any unruly or diseased branches before they infected the whole. After all, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts and if a few had to fall for everyone else to be happy, content and pure, he could be the shear to clip that branch. He could be the driving force to obtain peace and it should have been simple.

Then Nico Robin and the Ohara incident happened.

Another tentative knock made Akainu's head snap up and he opened it, glaring down at the Marine in front of him. "Admiral, the girl Andy-san, won't wake no matter how loud we knock or call to her and we can't get in her cabin since you gave her the other private cabin."

Nodding and dismissing the troop, he quickly put on his trademark shirt and stalked over to the door that had a good assortment of Marines gathered around, took out a key and opened the door. Stalking inside, he saw the brunette curled up with her sheets wrapped around her like a nest. The man's hand gripped her shoulder painfully tight and shook but all she did was unravel out of the little ball to show that she was cradling a dagger. That blade was the one she had attempted to use on the spy and he did wonder why she would treasure a weapon she could barely use.

* * *

-Inside a dream-

* * *

Ace was getting ready to leave Foosha Village and was dreading to tell Luffy but he knew one thing. _She_ knew. Andy maybe have been sleeping peacefully albeit heavily but he knew if he attempted to sneak out on her, her wrath would follow surely.

He fingered a pair of daggers that he had bought when a merchant vessel had stopped by. The trader had called it twin daggers and he found it fitting but he only hoped she would think so too. He saw she could be strong and even could punch out a rowdy bandit at the pub where she sometimes would help serving and cooking but he knew, truly and really knew, that fighting disgusted her.

Sighing, he went to wake up his sister when her right hand shot out gripping his upper left arm painfully. His flesh felt like it was burning and that the feeling was spreading throughout his body just to get warmer and warmer…

"CAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW"

A loud bird flying overhead had woken the sleepy brunette from his nightmare and he looked around in shock. _That dream was so real. _He looked down from the crow's nest to see the crew he commanded greet him cheerily and although disorientated, he waved back.

He felt drawn to his dagger and pulling it out, he surprised to feel an incredible heat that surpassed his own flames.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Finally he had wretched the blade out of Andy's reach just to hear his underlings whistle at the woman. Narrowing his eyes, he saw that she was dressed in a tight, black tank top and a pair of shorts so short they hugged her bum well and being tight, left few things to the imagination. Scowling, he shouted for his men to leave and shook her shoulders vigorously just for her head to loll back and forth like some makeshift ragdoll.

"Mmmm not so rough," the sleepy brunette mumbled and the admiral was highly annoyed to see her actually curl close to him.

Moving close to her ears, he whispered to her slowly, "If you don't wake up this instance, I will torch that pathetic village that spawned the vilest children of criminals that the world has seen."

Her eyes snapped open and her face, first shocked, quickly went into a state of embarrassment and shame. Her body was positioned on top of the man way too close for her comfort and she was practically draped onto him like sheets on a bed. "Akainu-san, what happened?"

Standing up, dumping her onto the bed he scowled at her in irritation. "The crew couldn't wake you and why are you dressed so inappropriately?"

She looked down at herself and back to him. "I hardly doubt this is inappropriate to sleep in unless you are some old prude." A glare later gave her a faint smile that did not reach her eyes. "Just a prude then it appears. Anyway, I'm a narcoleptic as well as a heavy sleeper. I really had fun cooking in the mess hall but the chef is really close to kicking me out of there because I fell asleep while cooking a big batch of beef broth for the crew. Only your orders stopped that."

Nodding his understanding, he motioned to her state of dress or rather undress in his opinion. "When we dock, you shall get appropriate clothing. We never know when we have an emergency and hence, we must be dressed in not such a revealing manner."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded. No matter her annoyance with the situation, she had to listen to him or her village and even her little remaining family was at stake. It would not be so difficult to convince the World Government a buster call was necessary to wipe out the lineage of THE most famous pirate or simply, Akainu could just eliminate the island himself. With those powers she knew of, it's not like it would be a difficult feat. "I wish I was ordinary… I wish my family was ordinary. Are we to bring death for just existing?"

Akainu nodded solemnly and put a hand on her shoulder. The action made her freeze up in fear. "I told you this is a fair partnership that even has Fleet Admiral Sengoku's backing. Your village is safe and we will delay any action on your brothers. Is this really so bad? You help the Marines and we keep the world safe. If not for the Marines, the terrors that could be would encompass us. Why do you think knowledge of the Void Century is forbidden? Why do you think we hunt those who have your blood? If the world is safe, we can afford to cut down those that threaten it. You and other civilians think little of the incident of Ohara, simply believing it to be cruelty on the Marines and particularly my part but did you people ever consider what could happen? An ancient weapon that could threaten us all, ideas too radical for the world to accept, power we aren't ready for; all these and more the Marines protect against!"

Andrea bit her lip and looked downwards into her lap where she had folded her hands. She knew pirates were far from innocent and the same with the Marines but was this really fair? "I want my family safe, I want the people close to me safe and a friend would be nice."

Laughing deeply he started towards her door, "Make no mistake, we aren't friends. A mutually beneficial business agreement more like."

Smirking, the girl walked up to the door to close it. "And make no mistake Admiral, I would rather kill myself than to count you as a friend."


	6. Cruelty Enters

This chapter is a bit longer as it has some character building and is quite a bit darker than the prior chapters.  
Read, follow, favorite and/or review for muffins!  
I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Cruelty Enters**

A few days held a similar, familiar occurrence: an unwakeable woman with Akainu having to intervene. This time before opening the door, he shooed away the men huddled around the door. _Idiots could actually be accomplishing some work or training if they weren't busy leering at that abomination of a woman._ Turning the key, he did not bother with pleasantries and simply pulled on her petite foot that was sticking out of the blanket. The brunette was dressed this time in an oversized shirt that had a familiar logo: the logo of the Spade Pirates.

"Awwww fuck Ace I'm going to kill you," she muttered while rubbing her head that had smacked the floor. Looking up, she saw the bearer of her rude awakening. "Oh it's you."

"Wearing that is even worse than the skimpy attire," Akainu deadpanned as he motioned to her shirt. She sighed and opened her little dresser that had been provided in her cabin.

"I'll be amazed if you approve of any of my clothing." Pulling out the standard Marine issued uniform, she flung it on the bed. "This is ugly and so unfashionable. Is that a benefit of being an Admiral? Wearing a suit, pretending your jacket is a cape and being immensely tall?"

The Admiral smirked as he sat on the bed while Andy was digging around for some boots. "Only terrorizing lawbreakers and persecuting the guilty," he deadpanned while reaching for the dagger that he saw her treasure. "You really need to learn to use this properly."

Biting her lip looking at the dagger, she glanced away feeling his gaze. "Why? It's not like I am going to be trained. Ya'll don't want me to be a danger to World Government."

Giving a small laugh, he took the dagger out from its worn sheath. "We have a deal I feel you're going to keep just like how I'm going to keep it. If a minor amount of training makes you somewhat competent and allows the Marines to get a use from you, I don't see the harm in it." Her eyes widened as he held out the dagger and allowed her to take it from him. "I'm not completely heartless. Today after your shift in the mess hall, I'll give you some basic warm-ups I want you to practice so you don't exhaust yourself in a real situation. Tiring out after one move makes a poor fighter. I also plan to rendezvous with a captain who has an underling somewhat talented with blades. Hopefully she will assist you."

Sweeping out of the room before she could respond, she watched as he closed the door to give her privacy while dressing.

* * *

-Meanwhile on Foosha Village-

* * *

Running through in a full out charge, Garp had burst into the small cottage's wall completely disregarding the door not that it would have done any good. The door's key after all had been given away but he did not know that. The rather blaring emptiness of the cottage worried him and going into the village, he noticed everyone looking very antsy and uptight. The bar was barren in terms of furniture but definitely not people. Just walking in, he was tackled by Dadan.

"Where's my grandchildren?" Garp demanded just to be glared by everyone around them.

"You idiot. Luffy left then Andy was taken away but not before the bar was practically wrecked. The battleship left not long ago."

"Who took her?"

Makino sighed at the lack of deduction. "Marines took them. An Admiral in fact. I overheard that they were heading to Shell Town." Garp had been so panicked in hearing this news that the already he had dashed over to his boat within a minute. "Waiiiiiiiiiiit, don't you want to know which Admiral took her?"

* * *

-A few days later-

* * *

Andy had fallen into a routine of stretching before her shift at the battleship's kitchen but her heart hurt at what her brothers would think, especially her twin. Ace had always been resentful of their father and her taking their father's name only made things worse between them. He had scoffed at their grandfather's offer or rather; attempts to have them join the Marines so he was likely to be unsympathetic.

She had just woken up and dressed in her rather plain military ensemble. Opening the door, she walked into a rather massive, well built chest. "Oh, you're awake. Morning," the Admiral said in surprise. "We have spotted a pirate vessel on the horizon we will be engaging so it is very good you are properly dressed."

Sighing, the brunette had looked around on the ship to see the other Marines run around in an organized panic. "Are we boarding the boat?"

The deep laugh startled her as Akainu shook his head. "Why would we do that? We aren't going to find a proper fight here and are only going to sink the ship as a precaution. Why board a ship if we aren't pirates after all."

"There could be innocent people on that boat! Or is this a situation like Ohara in your eyes? Like you said, the seas are weaker here so there is no way it is that big of a threat." Andrea could feel tears prick the edges of her eyes in anger. "You cold hearted man, if Marines are supposed to save and protect, why don't you do that job?"

Scowling, he pushed her against the wall with one hand against her collar bone, not even bothering with the Armament Haki, but yet he applied enough force to keep her still. The warm hand's heat felt soothing to her despite the power they held. "Do you think after what those lowlifes did to any innocents, they'll want to live? You think they can be salvaged but now they are a burden to society." Her hands tried to push his own off, but he kept her firmly pinned. He even noticed her hand did not burn him this time. "You, or at least part of you, believes me but perhaps seeing is believing."

He let her down and her eyes widened. "Can we help them?" He nodded and shouted at the navigator to bring the battleship close to the pirate vessel while she smiled her thanks.

"Save your smiles and your thanks. This is by no means a favor. I am only showing you the real truth that the Marines face day in and day out. This is the truth that pirates like your brothers and others try to ignore but know are out there." He tosses her a rifle that was lying around on deck. "I trust by now you are able to use this."

She nodded and began to inspect the gun while the ship moved closer. In moments, she would have her first real situation as a Marine and despite her apprehension of having Akainu there; she did feel excited to do some good and to prove him wrong.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

While Nami and Zoro were bickering, Luffy was digging in his bag for something important. While a good deal of his supplies was taken away in the whirlpool, he did manage to salvage a couple things, keep them safe from Alvida, the Marines and later on, even Buggy. Finding the little snail, he squealed in delight. "Ahhh, I found it!"

Nami stopped in her fight and glanced over, "Oh a baby Den Den Mushi. Who are you going to call?"

A wide smile graced Luffy's visage. "My sister! You'll like her Nami, she's a mean worrywart like you." Zoro started laughing while Nami started shaking her fist at the duo. Luffy put in his sister's number and was surprised to not get an answer.

"Huh… she always picks up at least by the third ring." The answering machine worried him slightly too.

"Hello, you have reached Andrea's line. If this is Ace calling, I'm going to kick your ass for not calling often enough. If this is Luffy calling, please don't let it be a stupid reason for why you're calling as I'm really too busy to bail you out of trouble. Otherwise, leave a message after the beep. BEEEEP!"

Luffy's grin and laughter put a smile on his crew as he spoke into the receiver. "Hi sis! I hope you're doing ok cause you're never busy. Anyway, I got two members of my crew now: Zoro is my first mate and Nami is my navigator."

"I'm not a pirate!" Nami shouted towards the receiver to Luffy's amusement.

"Anyway, we kicked a Marine guy's butt and this weird pirate with a big nose. The big nosed guy damaged Shanks's hat though but Nami was really nice and fixed it. I want to talk to you soon! Bye bye!" He hung up the receiver in high spirits and took in his crew's expressions. "I hope you get to meet her someday. She can cook meat really good!"

They all started laughing and Nami looked out into the waters with apprehension. _Is it bad I want to only help Luffy and Zoro?_ When Luffy started pointing towards an island that she knew was uninhabited, she gritted her teeth for the adventure sure to happen.

* * *

-On the battleship-

* * *

Akainu had decreed only the two of them would board the pirate ship as he alone was overkill and he decided that Andy needed to see what he knew would be happening. Most of the pirates had stopped what they were doing the minute they saw Akainu jump onto their ship, not even noticing the brunette he had held while doing the jump. "It's Admiral Akainu! Run for your liiiiiivessss!"

Chaos was what she saw as the pirates were jumping overboard left and right or heading for smaller, emergency boats. What worried her was they had not seen a leader yet but the Admiral motioned to a cabin leading downwards into the hull of the ship. Nodding, she watched him punch the door open in a way that reminded her of Garp and followed him downwards. She gripped the Marine issued rifle tightly but carefully as she did not want to accidentally shoot Akainu. Satisfying as it would feel, it would not hurt him nor accomplish anything of import.

Before she could ask Akainu anything, ignoring the fact she was supposed to be quiet, the smells coming from the hull silenced her completely. Dried vomit had started appearing haphazardly on the narrow hall they were walking and both of them had to step carefully. A few feet later, more fluids had appeared and even the harsh Admiral's voice was strained. "If I really did step in shit, you're responsible for cleaning my shoes."

Nodding solemnly, she put a hand on his arm momentarily so she could regain her balance. _This smells so badly… who can stand this? _They walked to a door and without further delay, it was punched open as well. The smell, fog-like in this room seemed to swoosh out at them and it took everything in her to not gag. Looking around carefully, she saw bodies lying about and in a side room, heard a pained whimper.

The Admiral motioned to her to have her gun ready as he waltzed into the room and dragged out a dirty man dressed in an outlandish jacket. Andy peeked in the room to see a scantily dressed woman with a black eye look back at her in despair. She walked in, with difficulty as the side room had bodies too, and tried to put a relaxing hand on the woman to relax her but all she got in response was a scream. "Miss, you're safe now. We're going to rescue you," Andy had said in what she hoped was a comforting tone but the scoff she got in response surprised her.

"Rescue me from what? Not like it could get any worse now that everyone else I care for is dead. What do I have to live for now? The prospect of possibly being pregnant with that scum's spawn?" Andy winced at the harsh tone and went back into the main room, hoping that a little time alone would calm the hysterical woman.

Akainu had waited to interrogate the man until she came out of the room and she noticed the Admiral had him pinned to the wall with one hand but unlike how she had been pinned earlier, the hand was holding the man by the throat and with his gloves on. "I'll take care of this," and once Akainu released the man, Andy had brought her rifle into a firing stance pointed at the man's chest. "Why did you do this because you're really making me want to kill you to spare the world a bit of trouble? Answer quick or my finger might get twitchy."

The man sneered at her as he looked up and down her figure, something noticed by both Akainu and Andy. While the Admiral clenched his fist in annoyance, the brunette had pressed the cool barrel of the rifle against the man. "Oh you think you're so superior with that uniform do you chicky? You're no better than the skank in my bed or the ones decorating the floor. I do this because I can and why not? I enjoy it and those people mean nothing to anyone." Before she could retort, he rushed at her, shoving the gun away in the process but he did not anticipate one thing.

Andrea always had her belted sheath on hand and upon kicking the man in the stomach to keep him back, making him impact with the wall, she pulled out her dagger as she glanced sideways at Akainu. "May I sir?" she motioned towards the filthy pirate with her blade.

Nodding in satisfaction, he waved her over. Her grip had tightened on the dagger and he watched carefully. Untrained or not, she did have potential as a fighter and a Marine. Holding the dagger carefully in her left hand, she moved towards the pirate just for him to cackle madly. "Oh you think you're a hero don't you Miss Marine? How'd you get your position? Did you fuck the good Admiral here for it?"

Andy spat in disgust and without further hesitation, brought her dagger towards his throat swiftly. A darkened flash shone across the dagger as it impacted rather violently. She wanted a quick swipe but what happened was a crushing blow that made the pirate stagger downwards slowly. Ignoring the vile man's bloody coughs, she turned towards the Admiral. "There's a woman in the side room. We can get her and leave this place. It's enough to give me nightmares for weeks." Nodding his consent, they walked towards the room and she paused at the door. She did not require Observation Haki to see what had happened in front of her with the woman's chest bloody and a blunt knife in her hand.

The Admiral steered her away from the scene and motioned her back towards the stairs. When she looked confused, he told her to get some fresh air or she would be sick and she rushed a bit quickly. A couple weak coughs got his attention as he walked back to the pirate. He would die a slow death from the way she had crushed his throat which he found unusual. She had applied a power to the dagger but that normally should have made it easier to slash. Yet, the dagger hit his throat like a bludgeon. "Scum like you pollute our ocean." Stepping on the man's ribs on the way out, the Admiral's gloved fist glowed with the power of his Devil Fruit. He then sent his magma-ized fist through the wall and dragged it through as he moved up the stairs.

"Oh there you are," Andy said with relief on seeing the Admiral. He noted her pale complexion and allowed his magma to dissipate knowing full well that the flames had started on the ship. "May we go sir?"

Nodding, he grabbed the petite woman and jumped off the ship just as the flames started becoming visible from the outside and the sound of explosions popped into her ears. She flinched slightly when they reached the boat and Akainu motioned to the Marines to leave this ugly scene. Looking down at the girl, he saw no need to state anything more to her. She was shivering in disgust: at herself, at the poor woman, and at the vile pirate. While she may not have realized it, she held a strong grip on his arm and noting this, he escorted her to the cabin.

Finally prying off her arm, he sat her down on the bed but kept silent as he sat down next to her. After all, why say a word? She finally got the point and understood.


	7. An Innocent Marine

A little bit of a chipper chapter compared to the prior  
Reading makes me happy, following and favoriting tickles, and reviews are a joy :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 7: An Innocent Marine**

When the battleship finally docked into Shell Town, the crew was annoyed and tired. The anticipation of having a lady with a famous name on the boat had really done nothing for the crew aside from her assisting with meal preparation. What killed the crew's fun more was they no longer saw her be woken up as they were always shooed away immediately and on the rare time a troop peeked in, she had stopped wearing any slightly flattering clothing.

The ship was almost entirely empty when the Admiral had stepped off of it to approach the base. Behind him, Andrea walked slowly as if in a trance, completely unnoticing the commotion. Her head was in a swarm of turmoil from the event and hearing her brother's voice on the baby Den Den Mushi made it worse.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

After the Admiral let her calm down, just by sitting next to her, she squeezed his arm and nodded. He left without a word and closed her door carefully, glancing back once at her pale complexion. The brunette sighed softly as she heard a soft beep from her bag. Pulling out her baby Den Den Mushi, she saw she had a message and hit play.

"Hi sis! I hope you're doing ok cause you're never busy. Anyway, I got two members of my crew now: Zoro is my first mate and Nami is my navigator."

"I'm not a pirate!" A female voice called out that Andrea assumed was named Nami.

"Anyway, we kicked a Marine guy's butt and this weird pirate with a big nose. The big nosed guy damaged Shanks's hat though but Nami was really nice and fixed it. I want to talk to you soon! Bye bye!"

The laughter of the male she assumed to be named Zoro as well as Luffy and Nami's brought a small smile to her face. Maybe this is why Ace did not call often out of the instinct to want to protect her from the harsh realities that being on the seas could bring. Could she really bring herself to tell Luffy what she saw on that ship? When people talked about the thrill of the ocean, never was mentioned the corpses of victims, rapists, or the smell of puke overpowering the salty air.

No, she could not burst her little brother's joyful bubble. No she could not tell Ace either… he would feel betrayed by her being associated in the Marines that with how hotheaded he is, may not even listen to her side of the story. Telling that Admiral would be pointless as he had warned her what was to come but like a fool, she brushed aside his experience and only wanted to see the world through her eyes.

_Well my eyes certainly were opened._ Putting down the snail back into her bag, she laid down onto the bed and for once, sleep did not come easy. _Hell I'll be lucky if it comes at all._

* * *

-Shell Town Marine Base-

* * *

Garp had been running through the base since he arrived, essentially terrorizing the staff. When Helmeppo muttered something derogatory about Luffy, he was quick to silence him with a punch leaving Coby to take the blonde to the medical ward. Hearing that the battleship he had long since awaited was docking, he dashed to the dock to see miscellaneous troops walk off. After waiting a few minutes in annoyance, he put his hands to his mouth and started yelling, "Andrea! Where is my adorable granddaughter?" A moment later, the Admiral Garp wanted to see the least walked, closely followed by a tall yet slender woman. Realizing who it had to have been, he ran past the Admiral who looked back in shock as Andy was being embraced by her grandfather and not even responding. Garp started shaking the woman and his hysteria showed in his voice. "What happened to my little girl?"

Akainu's annoyance showed on his face but this man being the father of Dragon and especially being a Marine hero, he knew better than to treat him lightly. "She saw the realities of the life of the Marines."

Before Garp could start shouting, a small hand touched his arm. "Gramps, I'm ok. Just a lil shaken." She closed her eyes and let herself be cradled by Garp as he swooped back to the base screaming for a doctor to examine his poor little girl.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Ace was hiding for a good reason: Garp was in town and Luffy was in no condition to deal with his grandfatherly love. Andy never feared Garp coming to visit as he loved to pamper and baby his granddaughter but he could not wait for his grandsons to be big, strong men of the Marines.

Andy had walked into her room in the small cottage they shared just to hear a groan of pain as she fell on her bed. Clenching a fist, she peeked down to see both her brothers hiding. "Oh come on you two. Don't be cowards."

Ace turned red as he shouted back at her, "Easy for you to say! He's not trying to make you a Marine by just beating the crap out of you."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her fist at the two. "But he taught me how to throw a mean right hook and who are you two more scared of."

Luffy stuck his tongue out and laughed. "You don't hurt like Gramps!"

She gave a dark smirk to her siblings. "But you forget…" her eyes drifted to the boys' favorite room: the kitchen. "I'm the only one who can cook to fill ALL our appetites."

The boys ran so fast that she swore she could feel their skin peeling. "Gramps! Where are you!"

* * *

-Hospital Ward-

* * *

It did not take much for Vice-Admiral Garp to get a private room for his granddaughter but everyone was surprised the two were related. Although tall, her slender features made her look very petite compared to the bulky, exuberant man. Some of the men who had been to Foosha Village could attest she was much livelier but now, she seemed almost a husk.

"Please speak to me. It's painful seeing you this way." Andy looked at him and bit her lip.

"I killed someone Gramps. He was a dirty stain of a pirate completely different from the type of pirate Luffy and Ace wanted to be. Knowing they are grouped together as pirates and seen the same way by the Marines sickened me. I don't want my brothers to be grouped with a bunch of sick fucks just for being a pirate."

He put a hand on her shoulder softly. "There are good and bad Marines too. The one that was deposed here was an example of a bad Marine. Good Marines vary on opinion and whether you value the methods or the result more."

She laughed softly. "Akainu-san is an ok Marine. He is an asshole but he did warn me it'd be like this. And besides," she touched her dagger gently, "We have a deal. He's going to help me become stronger and I'm going to protect people like a good Marine."

Garp shook his head sadly and reached into his pocket. "I never thought I'd hear the day someone other than Borsalino called that man a good Marine. Even then, I believe copious amounts of sake were involved." Andy raised her eyebrow as Garp put a small hand pistol into her hands.

"Gramps, I didn't say he is a good Marine. Just ok and threatening him with a pistol isn't going to save the village." Garp's face became red with rage.

"He threatened the village?" A feminine sigh later and Andy was rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"All water on the ocean now. I'm not pleased with it but if doing this keep them safe, whatever. Why are you giving me the pistol though? I can use a rifle."

Garp opened the gun briefly to show her the ammo. "This is a special gun my dear girl. Think of this as," he started to think for a minute before thinking of the perfect thing. "It's an equalizer. A friend formerly in the Marines had something like this. It'll stop logia users like Akainu in their tracks if something happens. Only five bullets though so shoot wisely and bullets are highly regulated so I doubt you can find this just anyway to buy."

She put the gun carefully on her belt, holstering it near her dagger and hiding it with a scarf. "Gramps, you got me something like this? Won't you get in trouble?"

A giant laugh that was so contagious it made her start smiling followed. "Our family is known for causing trouble! If we're going to do so, do it with a bang!"

Andrea's laughter was loud as she knew what would happen next as Garp burst through the hospital ward's wall as if it was a door.


	8. The Tough Call

Another semi-upbeat chapter that includes another favorite character of mine. Hope you all enjoy! R/R please :)  
I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Tough Call**

Even though Andy could have had her own room within Shell Base for the short duration she would be there, she preferred her little peaceful hospital room. Seeing the wall where her grandfather had burst through patched up with mismatched boards was amusing and prompted unusual questions from the Marines who had not had the fortune to meet Garp. The days had passed peacefully until today when the door opened without so much as a knock when Akainu walked in with a small bag.

"Get your stuff ready. I have a mission so someone else is taking you to Rogue Town to be trained. Maybe afterwards if you progress well, I might train you too." Her eyes widened with interest as she took her bag and inspected it. "Also do call your brother. Your damn snail keeps beeping."

An eyebrow raise later and she stood up suddenly. "Were you snooping in my room? How else could you hear my baby Den Den Mushi?"

"I wasn't snooping girl. I have to prepare the cabin as I have to escort a noble." She pulled a grim face and he nodded his agreement. "Exactly and I thought it would be _nice_ if I made sure your items were out of there. Who knows what one of _them_ would do if they found… certain items."

She gave a small laugh as her baby Den Den Mushi started ringing while sitting in her hands. She motioned towards it quietly. "May I?"

The Admiral sat down on a chair in the room and nodded his consent.

*Click* "Hello?"

"Hey Ace. Good to hear my favorite twin!" she answered happily. Despite her fears, it still did feel nice to hear brother's voice.

"I'm your only twin smartass," he retorted with annoyance. There was a lot of commotion in the background and he had to shout to be heard. "So I heard you left that little village?"

Andy was about to nod until she realized he could not see it. She bit her lip and sighed as she stood up to start pacing. _How will he take the news?_ "Yeah I left but enough about me and my dull life. How goes the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Loud laughter in the background and scuffling was heard as an unfamiliar voice spoke, "Ummm are you hot?" Akainu snorted at the pathetic attempt and Andy's eye twitched in irritation.

"Only because I'm standing next to a heater," she deadpanned as she glanced towards Akainu who merely shrugged back. "Anyway Ace, I'd appreciate you not calling me when your crewmates are drunk off their asses. Bye." *Click* Sighing, she looked at the Admiral. "I couldn't tell him. I really didn't even care about his crewmates being there but…"

"He'll find out eventually. You both are the children of Gol D. Roger after all. He should have expected something like this would happen."

Putting the snail carefully in her bag, she walked to the door and with Akainu rising from the chair, they both walked towards the dock. "So, who am I traveling with?"

"Ooooooo. I didn't think your new apprentice had such an _interesting _history. Ah Sakazuki, you've got to keep me better informed that this. Sengoku didn't mention this would be so… exciting!" Andy had almost collided with the tall man dressed in a yellow suit. The glasses glinted off the sun favorably letting him better inspect her. Noticing her amused look, he bent down slightly to shake her hand. "I'm Admiral Kizaru but you may call me Borsalino," he winked at her with Akainu looking on in annoyance.

"All you got to do is escort her to Rogue Town. No flirting is required. And if she does have the potential Sengoku believes she has, she may be a special agent for all of us Admirals." Akainu muttered in irritation as Andy walked over to Kizaru and he placed his hand on her shoulder in a friendly manner.

Andy looked at the friendly Admiral with curiosity. "Do they know about the deal?" Both Admirals nodded as they started walking towards, or in Andy's cause, being steered towards the boat that was departing for Rogue Town.

"Ahh… If she's an agent for us and we're to be her handlers, we definitely have to train her well. Oooo this will be so exciting," the relaxed Admiral exclaimed. "Anyway, time to go! Anyone to say your goodbyes to Andy-chan?"

The brunette was a little surprised how chipper this man was but had heard enough from Garp to be wary. She had heard about the amicable personality but also, his slightly cruel side. "Well Gramps left not that long ago but…" she glanced towards Akainu. _Should I give him a goodbye?_ "I guess I owe someone a goodbye."

Kizaru nodded and pointed towards the ship. "Five minutes then we're on our way." He turned from the two and walked onto the small ship when he paused and looked back with a huge grin. "Not too much time for something overly romantic."

Akainu stiffened uncomfortably while Andrea blushed and looked away from both men. The laughter continued for a few seconds until Andy walked with Akainu a little bit away from the dock. Glancing at her, he looked still unsure how to say something as Kizaru's words made him not sure how to say anything without it sounding slightly flirty. _Damn him. She is… agreeable on the eyes but I would not consider such things with her. She still is HIS daughter_. "Andy-san, if your training is well, you will get to travel a bit and receive the more tedious but less dangerous mission the Admirals sometimes receive such as spying on certain situations we cannot trust others with. Nonetheless, remember now you don't just represent yourself but the Admirals so we expect results."

She nodded and had a small smile on her face. "I'll try to minimize the collateral damage then if it's on the Marines." The atmosphere had lost the tense air form earlier between the two but he still was shocked when she held her hand out to him. "I'm still pissed at you for threatening me and the village but…" she bit her lip while trying to think of how to explain. "Thanks for giving me a wake-up call. Thanks for looking out for me on the boat even though you didn't have to and thanks for not saying anything to Ace during that call. You could have turned him against me with a simple word but…"

A rare genuine smile crossed his face as he shook her hand. "I'm only a heater after all," he deadpanned as she laughed. She had almost forgotten that she had referred to the Admiral in such a way. "Maybe only for you I'll be a heater."

Andy's hand felt warm but nowhere near the heat that her face held. _For me? Whaaa?_ "Ummm," Akainu's face froze as he realized exactly what he said but before he could correct himself, she approached even closer and realized how much warmer it was near him. Looking up at the slightly taller man, she grinned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll make myself worth it then. Got to work hard to be worthy of having an Admiral as my heater." She winked at him as she turned towards the dock before glancing back at him. "I'm still pissed at you but… I won't kill you even if I get the chance because as much as it hurts to admit it," she clenched at her heart for a moment to let the sudden vertigo pass. She also brushed her right hand past the scarf that she had hidden her gun under and the motion relaxed her. "You saw me in one of my worst moments when I didn't have family there to help me so I'm grateful to you Akainu-san. I'll make sure the world knows that Marines have their reasons and to get rid of shit Marines like that Morgan. Anyway, I think the time is almost up and I don't want to take away from your _important_ escort mission."

He nodded in approval as he walked towards her and together, they walked back to the docks and ultimately, an Admiral Kizaru who looked altogether, overly pleased at what transpired. Akainu was distracted however; he could still feel where she had pecked him on the cheek and although loathe to admit it, it did feel nice.


	9. Cup Sizes, Soup, and a Visit

Thanks to Dante96 for the nice review :) I have been fortunate to push out a chapter a day of varying sizes but all of them usually hit over 1,000 words or roughly 3 pages on Microsoft Word. Length of chapter varies on the subject I wish to address with the chapter but also with how the creativity flows when I'm writing.

It really is encouraging to hear feedback as it makes writing easier, gives an idea if I left something out as well as helping me figure out more surprises to throw in the next chapters.

Also, I noticed a couple of favorites/follows which also is really lovely :D

This chapter is hella long compared to the last but I had came up with the title and leaving the title unfulfilled felt... weird o.O  
More amusement ahead, some jokes and drama for my lovely readers ^_^

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Cup Sizes, Soup, and a Visit**

Andrea dozed rather peacefully on the small boat. Kizaru had a minimal staff as the boat was meant for speed but it was nonetheless cozy. As the day was nice, she had set a hammock out to relax in and made the mistake of falling asleep.

Kizaru rarely had such situations happen to him. Everyone else was so stressed out with everything happening, a person getting shot and blablabla that they did not appreciate humor anymore or even life's precious moments. Strolling out of his cabin onto the deck, he was facing the latest source of his amusement: Gol. D Andrea.

He stood over her, tilting his head to get a good angle, and roughly began guessing her measurements before an idea sparked in his mind. The men he took with him, all too used to his antics, had distanced themselves when the Admiral called for a Den Den Mushi. The smirk on that man's face could have put Garp to shame as he dialed a familiar number.

* * *

-On the battleship, escorting a noble-

* * *

Akainu prided himself on many things but most of all, on hiding his distaste for certain situations. Many knew him as very outspoken when something displeased him but no one realized, those situations often involved despicable pirates, dangerous situations, and fighting. What he was facing now was one thing that sometimes would make the bulky Admiral cringe.

Tolerating a noble yet alone ass-kissing was a delicate feat that Akainu thought he had mastered but when Sengoku had informed him about this temporary duty, he had neglected to mention a few things.

Firstly, the woman was very slovenly and obese and while Akainu knew with his bulk he was a big man, his body was the result of hard work where as this woman's was the result of not having to lift a finger since she was spawned. However what made him wince more than her features was the extremely blatant flirting this noble and he felt pawed at just from her eyes leering at him. The winks and not-so-subtle insinuations that she could arrange for him to live with her made him really regret taking the mission. If only he would be able to take that girl with him, it would have been tolerable.

_Gol D. Andrea… if told when I met you that I'd actually crave your company, I would have asked if someone dug into my sake supply…_ He looked up and to his horror, the noblewoman was starting to make kissy faces at him when something made his day turn around.

"Admiral Sakazuki-san! You have a call!" The Admiral bowed and gave his apologies to the noblewoman and stalked away with the Marine bearing the Den Den Mushi.

"I'll take the call in my cabin." The Marine nodded and was pleasantly surprised to receive a handshake but that paled in comparison to the money he found in his hand as the Admiral whistled into his cabin. Waving the man away, Akainu set up the Den Den Mushi and picked up the receiver but what he heard almost made him consider going back out there.

"Ooooooo Sakazuki-kun, I'm trying to figure out Andy-chan's breast size but I can't put my finger on it." The magma fruit user literally started to turn red out of a mixture of shock and anger. "I wonder if she'll let me measure her personally."

"Is there a reason behind this torture Kizaru?" Akainu answered gruffly knowing full well of his friend's occasional habit of talking about attractive women. _I just admitted she's attractive mentally… Shit. _He really was not in the mood to put up with unwelcome flirtations and his fellow Admiral's teasing.

"Awww you're no fun! I knew I should have called Kuzan about this… he probably would have been able to figure it out just by me describing her." Akainu's face flushed in annoyance. He did not have to be there to know that his friend was smirking. "So… how big do you think they are?"

"She's going to be pissed if she finds out you're discussing her chest." What he did not expect to hear back was laughter.

"Oh she doesn't know I already looked down her shirt." The sake cup Akainu was reaching for shattered in his grip. "Oooo that didn't sound so good!"

"I know what you're doing so stop."

Kizaru sighed and wistfully looked towards the girl in the hammock. "She's really pretty you know. Is it so bad that I want you to get laid?"

The sake bottle that was being reached for slipped from the husky Admiral's grip. "I have no problems with that department and now is there a legitimate reason you are calling?"

"Oooo by the testy tone, you must be getting some from that noblewoman. Does she really have a third tit?" Akainu's face blanched and he unfortunately had a rather disturbing mental image forming.

"… I think Andrea is a B-cup," he muttered while holding his head. He was going to need especially strong sake to deal with this.

"Good call! I'll ask her when she wakes up. Her hair is really silky you know… I wonder if I can pet her or something," the yellow suited Admiral gleefully said. _This is working better than I thought._ "She's wearing this really short skirt too. Nice pair of legs on her. A little young but I bet she's spunky."

Akainu groaned as he glared at the Den Den Mushi. _I don't know what's worse: Borsalino teasing me about this or going back to that dining room._ "Stop checking her out. That's not really polite."

A giggle made the Admiral feel like Aoikiji stuck his arm through his chest. "It's nice that you care about my dignity Akainu-san but is there a reason I shouldn't let Borsalino-san, how did you put it? Check me out?" Kizaru's laughter only added to Akainu's embarrassment but a few words had him gulp. "And I'm a 36C since you two were debating about that. Being a heavy sleeper doesn't make me deaf. Oh and Akainu?"

Her tone was entirely too sugary sweet that he actually felt _fear_ on hearing it. "Yes Andy-san?"

"When this call is over, I want you to go back to that dining room and _imagine_ the cup size on that noblewoman. Good bye and be safe." With a click, the Admiral looked towards the door in fear.

"Those two know how to get under my skin way too much," he groaned as he looked at the Den Den Mushi which was now peacefully sleeping. Steeling his expression, he walked back towards the dinner fully aware of the winks, flirtation and attempted gropes he was going to suffer.

* * *

-The next day-

* * *

Kizaru groaned as he noticed his arm held no Den Den Mushi. It had gone to hell after Andy had woken up and heard what he had said the day prior. At first he thought he would have a partner in crime with teasing his friend but a sadistic grin aimed at him had him worry.

It started with his glasses. He was rather attached to them and held a great deal of memories with them. But then she had snatched them off while he was in a different call. His squawking did not accomplish anything when she put the glasses down her blouse and challenged him if he would retrieve them. After giving an appreciative glance at the view, he had to wonder, where the hell did his glasses go?

When his sake supply had gone missing, panic had set in. A good portion of it was a high quality that Sakazuki had felt kind enough to give on his birthday. It was a damn good year for sake too and what made him almost cry was her upending the booze over the railing claiming the fish needed a good drink too.

But the Black Den Den Mushi being lifted from him had him in a full out panic. Although he was joking with his crew as normal, his eyes darted left and right, scanning for it. Seeing the woman come out of the mess hall wearing his glasses and looking far too relaxed had him lose his composure as he picked her up and swooped her into his cabin. Locking the door, he glanced at her in feigned boredom. "Where is it?"

"I'm wearing your glasses," she deadpanned but she took them off bored and flung them at him. "What now?"

"Did you really pour all of my sake out?" She laughed and although amused, he did fear for his precious liquor.

"I replaced it in the ice box you had after you ran out looking. You really didn't think of double checking did you?" Before the Admiral could get in another question, she pointed towards the large Den Den Mushi where the Black one was sitting next to. What horrified him however was that they were in a call and the sudden laughter.

"Thanks for calling. At first I thought it'd be another attempt to yank my chain but this prank, even if you don't think highly of it, did amuse me." With a click, the snail fell asleep and the Admiral looked at the brunette with a renewed respect.

"And that is why I am not your tool for teasing Akainu with. With how that noblewoman looked, he would have been raring to hear about any female."

Laughing as he put on the Black Den Den Mushi onto his wrist, he escorted her out of the cabin. "You're a different case. He has an interest in you. Now in a day or so, we're going to come to a floating restaurant. It's really good so maybe you can pick up some recipes." Smirking, he closed the door on the blushing woman who started to ask him questions.

* * *

-The Baratie, 3 days later-

* * *

The kitchen was a hustle and a bustle when all of a sudden, Patty dashed in waving his arms. "There's a Marine vessel heading towards us! This could be big!" Zeff looked up with interesting as he glanced out to see a duo enter.

"Sanji, stay in here. We don't want to mess with them." The blond chef wanted to argue but he felt something tingling yet he had no idea what it was. "Get started on our special. I'll greet them," he ordered and as Zeff went out the door, a few of the chefs, Sanji included, were all too quick to complain.

"Stupid shitty geezer. The shitty Marines won't do anything if he feeds them like we always do." Patty voiced a rare agreement as the both of them started deboning some salmon. No matter their feelings, they were in trouble if they lost the customer or worse, if the Marines decided to do something about the former pirates on the ship.

* * *

-Ten minutes ago-

* * *

"Borsalinooo-sann," Andy started whining as he escorted her into the restaurant. "Why do I have to wear this?" The Admiral glanced at her, trying to find the source of her irritation.

She did look rather stunning in that black dress she had; it was very slimming with a white belt around her waist, a slightly low and teasing neckline and while it was not a short dress, the slit up the length of the dress did give a good flash of leg. He also appreciated her heels that she had threatened him with earlier claiming they were hell.

"This is a fancy place Andy-chan and I want to see Sakazuki's face when I tell him about how good you look now." Despite her vehement denial, he did see the humble beginnings of interest in his friend. Ever since the prank, she had been smiling more and even sitting in on calls that he made to his fellow Admiral. Of course she claimed she was only doing it for the sake of preserving Akainu's sanity and taste in women but he saw her softened smile when she was addressed. He grinned remembering how his friend's voice also seemed less rough when addressing her and although he had been warned by Sengoku that Akainu might employ some psychological tactics when handling Andrea, there were some things that made no sense. That man did not smile easy so he would try his damn hardest to make the two of them admit their budding feelings. "Imagine how he would feel if you described this fancy outfit to him while he's eating with the noble."

She chortled as she walked with him, arm in arm. "I thought you Marines were buddy-buddy with the nobles." Her laughter continued as the affable man scrunched his face in distaste.

"We may have a sense of justice some don't like but we do have common sense," he muttered slowly and lowly as they crossed onto the Baratie. Even if it was his and many of the Marine's opinions, he was not daft enough to voice them loudly. Opening the doors and allowing her to go in, he surveyed the restaurant with appreciation which only doubled seeing a familiar face. "Oooo Zeff-san. A meal for me and my lovely friend if you will."

When the chef nodded and returned to the kitchen, Kizaru noticed Andrea fidgeting and tugging at her dress. He tried to slap away her hands from the dress when she scooted out of reach. "Stop making me feel so subconscious… It's bad enough on the Den Den Mushi but come on!"

He sighed and shook his head as a blond, the sous chef by the looks of it, brought in a fried appetizer. "What may I get you to drink, my fair lady?" Andy could not help but blush when Kizaru burst out laughing. The blond had no idea what happened and looked at the two of them in confusion.

The Admiral could not let this moment go to waste. "You look like a good judge of character. Now, how does this young woman rate in your eyes?"

Hearts filled the eyes of the sous chef and when his arms started flailing, Andy groaned and literally, face-tabled. Mumbling into the table cloth, she intoned "some lemonade please." Kizaru nodded for the same for him and the chef happily flounced into the kitchen while the smirking Admiral patted her assuredly on the back.

"There, there Andy-chan! If anything, pretend your looks are a weapon to use on people." The serious effect was ruined with how over-dramatically he had puffed out his chest, pretending it was cleavage, and she giggled. "Who knows? Maybe this will make Sakazuki jealous and will have him admit his feelings for you."

She groaned and her face became acquainted with the tablecloth again. "He only sees me as the daughter of Gol D. Roger, not a as a woman."

Shaking his head at the obvious denial, the corner of Kizaru's lip twitched up. "So, why was he so quiet after you gave him a kiss on the cheek?" He tried not to laugh too hard as she started choking on the lemonade in disbelief.

Before Andrea could voice her embarrassment of having that _private_ moment seen, the sous chef from before came back again. "My name is Sanji and I will be serving you today." He bowed down and kissed Andy's hand which made Kizaru start wiggling his eyebrows at her. "We have some very good lobster and steak I could get ready for you my dear," he purred at the brunette in a not-so-subtle manner. "How do you take your steak?"

"Medium please," Kizaru blabbed happily as Andrea giggled at Sanji's expression of annoyance.

"Medium rare please. And may I have a bowl of lobster bisque?" Sanji's affirmative nods granted him a smile as he practically flew back into the kitchen.

"Lay on the charm more and we could likely get a roast sea king at the rate that guy is going," the Admiral murmured in amusement but before Andrea could agree, he added, "I wonder if Sakazuki had eaten sea king before? I know he's tried some cow fish thing before." Andrea smiled while nibbling the fried mozzarella they had been brought earlier and Kizaru was happy to see that she did have feelings for his friend; no matter how bad the denial.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Sengoku had enjoyed the relative peace that the deadlock of power had brought: the World Government via the Marines, the Four Emperors: Yonko, and the Shichibukai otherwise known as the Seven Warlords of the Sea. While he was Fleet Admiral and had to very much so publicize the actions of the Marines, he knew better than to underestimate the other two powers in this delicate triangle of power. However, news connecting two adopted pirate brothers and their sister had him curious.

What added to this was that he actually was somewhat acquainted with the young Gol D. Andrea as Garp had at times, brought her with him when doing paperwork due to as he put it: her twin's attitude towards her being very antagonizing. The spunky girl had introduced herself proudly to him the first time they met, which was when she was just a child. _Damn I feel old now._ She seemed unaware of how much fear having her name did to the men at the base but the pure innocence she radiated stopped the troops from being scared of her. He himself felt fooled that the daughter of _that _man, Gol D. Roger, could be so sweet that he felt conflicted in regards to how he could treat her if she ever became a pirate. Her behavior and general kindness let him allow Garp to have her at the base and although she heard more disturbing truths about the government and the Marines than most kids, she was respectful and he felt at ease.

Of course that was before the scar that he heard about from Garp.

A burn from a stone: improbable and although Garp did display a lack of intelligence at times, he was so adamantly certain of what he saw. Lightning struck a gravestone she was touching and gave her a burn encompassing her right palm. The results from the lab when he made Garp send him a piece of the grave marker, a fact he had to keep quiet from his grandchildren as they would have been outraged at the disrespect to the dead, had made things even more curious.

The stone that Ace had retrieved from the bottom of the sea to serve as a reminder of Sabo's resting place turned out to be a rather large block of kairoseki otherwise known as Seastone. At first, the Fleet Admiral had dismissed the Vice-Admiral's concerns over the burn until years later, he sent Akainu to investigate the sudden growth spurt of the girl and to check up on if her younger, adopted brother did depart. He could not risk sending Garp as, friends or not, the Vice-Admiral was fiercely loyal and protective of family.

The fact that the Admiral had passed on information about his Devil Fruit powers interacting curiously with the scar. That only confirmed his suspicions and had him more intrigued and although against his better judgment, Sengoku knew what was best for everyone: the girl had to be a Marine. However, his agitation was because of a suggestion given to him but a few hours ago by the Admiral shortly after they had departed Foosha Village: seduce her.

The Fleet Admiral had been vehement that nothing of the sort was to happen and although he did not provide any further information on the matter, he scolded Akainu for voicing such things when a point was brought up. "Is this really the worst we've done? How many things do you overlook for the sake of the Marines? Kuma gradually loosening grip on his humanity because of what he's allowing to be done to him? Why is it that just nudging this girl towards our side disgusts you?"

Sighing, he knew this was something unavoidable now. "She had enough of a tough time with this. You are unaware of this but Kuzan and Garp know what happened as it pertained to them. Needless to say, we decided years ago it was unsafe for people to show their affections to her so forcefully. Thankfully she forgot but the odd thing is Garp said she had always been agitated until she received the burn. It's like she doesn't know. Nonetheless, you aren't to fuck with her mind. If she, for who knows what reason, she expresses a healthy interest, that's out of my hands but just do your duty." He had hung up the Den Den Mushi with annoyance as he glanced at a photograph on the desk.

Him and Garp had stood in the background with Garp grinning in the background like the crazy fool he always has been while himself he had been standing solemnly with his arms crossed. A young brunette, rather short for her age at the time, had crafted a makeshift saddle that she had placed over Sengoku's pet goat and was riding it. Those were innocent times that he wished he could get back. He had to have faith in his Admirals now for the next plan to be put into place: for Gol D. Andrea to become a new agent under the three's direct command.

* * *

-Back to the Baratie-

* * *

Kizaru slouched in his chair, very much so satisfied with the meal despite the sous chef making lovey-dovey eyes at his charge. A slight frown creased his brow as he saw Andrea rise to go ask the kitchen about a couple of certain dishes she was curious about. When he questioned why, she had alluded to wanting to prepare a certain dish for his friend, he smirked and allowed her to go but was slightly concerned that the blond chef would act on the suggestions he had been making all dinner.

* * *

-In the kitchen-

* * *

Zeff was all too happy to oblige the young girl asking about a couple of dishes and was even more surprised at the amount of respect given to him by her. Delegating the responsibility of teaching to Sanji, he went to take a dessert to the dining Admiral to placate him.

Sanji whistled while leading Andrea to the back of the kitchen and writing out a quick recipe that he was going to demonstrate. It was rare that he had patrons who were both beautiful women and were interesting in the finer points of culinary preparation. Inviting her to try her hand at prepping the dish, he subtly, or at least in his eyes, placed his arms around her to assist at certain steps.

Andrea however, was much less amused at this situation. Borsalino had playfully flirted with her to pass time but she knew it was just for fun and while she had admitted to enjoying some of Akainu's attention, this chef really just annoyed her. She never realized she had a type that she liked and disliked until Sanji just kept laying it on thick. This specific dish she wanted to obtain and realizing that true talent like what Zeff and Sanji had was rare in such a dangerous world, knew she had to seize the opportunity. Unfortunately, the blond kept mistaking her anticipation for cooking for Akainu, complete with a shy blush, for enthusiasm at working with him.

Upon completing the dish, Sanji walked her back to the dining room and bowed as he brought her back to Kizaru but he had one more surprised up his sleeve. While he did love imparting his knowledge on her, he wanted her to come back for more and what better way than to taste what he had to offer? Leading her to the table was quiet but after wishing them both well, he swooped in and kissed the unsuspecting girl.

Her eyes were wide with shock and she backed up into the table causing the glasses to clatter noisily to the floor. This did not deter Sanji as he persisted despite her flailing arms. Guests were making an assortment of whistling from the men or booing from the women at the scene but the thing he did not anticipate was a flash of light in front of him followed by a foot. "So troublesome. Undoing what was turning out to be a good day." Swiftly kicking the chef into the kitchen through a makeshift door aka the wall of which Garp would be proud of, he picked up Andrea carefully and strode back to the little ship they had come in.

Zeff just shook his head at the scenario and dragged the blond back to his bed to yell at him. This was the type of Marine attention that was not needed.


	10. Where there's Smoke, there's Ice

Well this chapter should put me over 20k words so far for the total story which I suppose is rather good for another milestone. Not bad for cranking out a chapter a day since the start I guess.

This is a sort of lengthy chapter although shorter than the last.

Also, fairly dark but does explain why she freaks out at Sanji's advances at the Baratie

Read, review, favorite, and follow if you like :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Where there's Smoke, there's Ice**

Luffy had pouted at the Baby Den Den Mushi in disappointment and Nami was annoyed for one reason: due to her being a girl, he bounced nonstop questions about why his beloved older sister had not yet returned his calls. The worry only increased when Zoro asked if she could be dead to which Luffy snorted, "She's too strong to die. She's scary!"

Zoro snorted and waved a head towards Luffy. "You said she's not a pirate right?"

Nodding in affirmation, the thin boy grinned as he reminisced. "And she could cook the best meat. She would have been able to make something yummy out of those weird animals we came across in that last island." He noticed an island nearby and pointed at it with enthusiasm. "Oi Nami! What's the name of that village?"

The girl laughed at her captain's attitude and glanced at her map quickly. "Says here that the island has a small place called Syrup Village. Hopefully we can get a new ship and more supplies as well as crewmates there."

Zoro smirked at her, "Thought you weren't a pirate Nami."

Before she could retort, the snail started beeping and ringing which stirred Luffy into frenzy. "Shuuuuuuuush." He picked up the receiver and chirped, "Hello!"

"Ahhh Luffy-kun," a serene female voice sounded. "I'm glad to see my little brother is such a happy pirate."

The Straw Hat's leader laughed in barely restrained joy. "You are missing out! We found this really cool island with really rare animals including a guy in a chest. He kinda had an afro. Do you think I'd look cool with an afro? I'm not sure how it'll look with Shanks' hat though."

A giggle later had the crew smile. _So this is Luffy's sister,_ Zoro and Nami thought at the same time.

"Oh so you're looking to rock the Fleet Admiral's look? You'd need a pet to really pull that off." Nami froze in fear as she knew suspected something unusual. Luffy did not exactly display much knowledge about the Marines so how did his sister…?

"Are you going to turn us into the Marines Miss…?" Silence ensued and Luffy glared at Nami coldly at the accusation.

"My name is Andy and no worries. Trust me, I'm the last person that would do that to the crew of my family." Luffy grinned in affirmation but Nami still looked suspicious. "Anyway Luffy-kun, I'll be rather busy for a while so if I don't answer on the snail, just leave a message and I'll try to respond back. I really missed ya little bro. Also, you forgot to introduce me to your crew you silly dolt."

Laughing, he motioned for his crew to speak to his sister which was made easier by the fact they finally landed on the island. Right as the introductions finished however, a relaxed voice spoke through the receiver. "Ooooo so this is your brother's crew eh Andy-chan?"

The sounds of a brief fight and an indignant whine followed by a very low growl, "Borsalino-san, I'm going to kick your ass. If even _he_ is nice enough to be quiet when I'm in a call, I'd like to expect the same from you."

"Awwww, he's being so nice and considerate to you isn't he? I wonder why that is ehh?" the voice the crew had identified as 'Borsalino' teased back while making kissy noises to the confusion of the Straw Hat Crew. "You never let me have any fun!"

More scuffling, the sound of a smack, and the sound of broken porcelain later, the crew heard Andy's voice as she sighed, "I'll talk to you later Luffy-kun, I've gotten busy again." *Click*

The crew looked at each other in confusion while Nami was contemplating the name of the man she heard. _It's really familiar but I can't my finger on it._ "Was that her boyfriend or something Luffy?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "Nah I have a feeling they are like us."

Zoro then peeked up all of a sudden, snapping the crew from their playful banter. Motioning towards a cliff, he muttered none too quietly, "What are those guys doing there?" Luffy and Nami peeked over, after the former had safely stowed away his Baby Den Den Mushi with a smile. After all, he was pleased his sister had something to occupy herself with that she would not worry so much about him and Ace.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea was very displeased when she sensed Kizaru eavesdropping but him butting in on her call made her fret. _I wonder if he remembers anything Gramps said about the Marine officers. *sigh* the one time I'm counting on Luffy to not know something. _"My brother could have freaked out really bad and done something rash. The men of the family aren't known for rationality."

The Admiral laughed her threats off and reclined on a chair he placed on the deck. "Anyway, when you swatted me away with your right hand, I felt a bit odd. I've already discussed this with Sakazuki and we think your scar affects Devil Fruit users. You really are full of surprises eh Andy-chan?"

She glanced at her palm with a faint pain fogging her eyes. "Like I expected a gravestone to be struck by lightning when I touched it?" Relaxing on her hammock that she had grown fond of, she sighed and stared at the shiny burn scar on her palm. Biting her lip as an idea crossed came to her, she held her palm towards Kizaru and a tiny light zipped towards him. He raised his eyebrow and laughed while she facepalmed. "Well… I thought I'd be a miniature Pacifista."

"Ooooo I wonder if you can do anything else with that scar of yours. Anything weird happen before with it?" She waved her palm around more, trying to get a result but all that happened was a very more beams of light that were needle thin.

"Ummm, I remember smacking Luffy once upside the head because he ate all the food in the house yet again and he was scared when he didn't stretch. I actually felt bad for that too." Tilting her head to think, she snorted as a recent memory hit her. "Oh and I can't swim so when I fell in the water before, my hand was floating. Felt kinda weird though since I dislocated my shoulder since my hand wouldn't go below water."

"You look tired after shooting those spaghetti beams," he teased just to have her roll her eyes. "You do those exercises Sakazuki told you to do yes?"

"Yea yea I do them and I do feel the burn of my muscles but am I cut out for this? I mean it's neat and all that my palm does something nifty but I can't save anyone with a tiny beam or by slapping every Devil Fruit user out there." She blew air onto her palm and tilted her head to look at it from a different angle whilst shaking her hand.

Kizaru had a smirk as he held up a Baby Den Den Mushi that Andrea recognized to be her own. "Well, here's your motivation! I'll teach you how to do some kicks and you need to figure out other stuff to do with that scar. Stamina building seems to be what you really need. When you impress me, I'll give you this back but…" a dark look crossed his face. "If not, I'm going to tell _him_ about how that chef attempted to have his way with you in the restaurant."

Unwillingly she blushed in annoyance and glared at the infuriating Admiral. "Blonds need to leave me alone. Fine whatever." Smiling widely, he prepared to show her a couple kicks but made sure to keep a firm grasp of the snail. She was crafty after all but he did notice that odd expression in her eyes.

* * *

-The Marine Battleship-

* * *

Akainu had practically locked the noblewoman in the dining room in annoyance as anytime he went to answer the Den Den Mushi, _"it's business and very important,"_ she had attempted to follow. He was a very private fellow and although he felt a bit freer than usual, restricting his movements was a sore spot for the Magma Fruit user. It had been a couple days since the last call to his annoyance but he did realize those prior days had been a welcome relief but not something to be relied on. The snail going off now did relieve him as he answered it. "Admiral Akainu speaking."

"Ooo I'm glad you're up. I need information." Kizaru's voice spoke through to his surprise and to his shock a serious tone. "What did the Fleet Admiral tell you about Andy-chan?"

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he thought back to the conversation he had not long after leaving Foosha Village but was unsure how much information to really reveal to his fellow Admiral. "What in particular are you wondering about?"

"Well, she has a problem with blond males, possibly originating from trauma. She displayed a quality earlier that reminded me of the Conqueror's Haki but it was very weak and suppressed. Luckily I intervened before it could get ugly but do you know anything? It would be bad if Andy-chan has some condition that makes it difficult for her to do her job eh?" Akainu scrunched his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well he implied something had happened when she had visited Marineford before when she was younger. For the life of me, I can't remember who she could have been back then. He said Kuzan and Garp are aware of the situation but didn't expand on that." After those words left his mouth, he had an idea what may have happened to her and remembered her reaction to that one Marine that had been subdued by her brother. She seemed overly pleased but how would she have known him unless…

"Ok I'll call Kuzan and let you know what I find out because this might be vital information for us as her handlers. Thanks, bye." The snail fell asleep and Akainu glanced at the Den Den Mushi in confusion. A serious Kizaru meant shit was going to skip the fan and decimate the ceiling.

* * *

-Rogue Town Marine Base-

* * *

What had started as Smoker berating the youngest Admiral about how he could be expected to watch over a Marine and somewhat implement her training session had come to a screeching halt when a Den Den Mushi went off in the background. Marines clamored around as most of them had been focused too heavily on his ensign, Tashigi's, sword stances than actually paying attention. To his surprise, the Admiral in front of him sat up from the nap that he had been put in as the Den Den Mushi was brought to him. Sighing with boredom, he answered it. "Aokiji here. What is it?"

He then laid on his side and put the snail next to him to await the answer. "Hellooooooo Kuzan. I got a question for you and it's involves something rather confidential. Are you alone?" The youngest Admiral was shocked to actually get a call from Kizaru and shooed away the other lower ranking Marines, leaving just him and Smoker in the room.

"Just me and Smoker now. That fine?" The Light Devil Fruit user coughed his affirmative and the two friends glanced at each other. "So… why the call?"

"Do you know why Andrea has a problem with blond men?" Aokiji's eyes widened and his fist clenched in barely restrained anger.

"Is there a reason for this? Speak fast or I'll forget I'm in the call." Smoker looked from the snail to the Admiral in confusion. The sudden hostility was rare to see from Kuzan when he was not around Akainu.

"A chef from a restaurant got fresh with her you could say. After the initial panic, her expression looked like it could kill and I had to defuse the situation. I did so in a flashy manner if I may say so myself." Smoker audibly groaned at the horrible pun.

"I'm going to have to give you the cold shoulder for that Borsalino," the Ice user deadpanned and after a brief chuckle, he was back to business. "Anyway, that Morgan who got taken out in Shell Town, used to be stationed as some really low underling at Marineford under Sengoku pushing papers or whatever. Garp had brought her on a visit and I got stuck babysitting as she liked me using my power so that she could make snowmen." He sighed and his agitation made him blow out cold air in a manner that reminded him of Smoker. "She literally was a kid and that sick fuck had used his son to lure her away so he could try something. Worst feeling in the world was realizing she wasn't next to me and started to scream." He had to pause to collect himself. "It felt like that shit at Ohara all over again. She was literally the same age as Nico Robin was at that time and he tried something on her. You were right to defuse the situation though. When Morgan tried that on her, he had two hands but after he had attempted to kiss her…"

Borsalino's eyes widened and even the Den Den Mushi's eyes did so. "You mean she actually…?"

"She tore off his hand with her teeth out of fear after he tried to muffle the sounds. That family has a strong set of jaws. Next thing she did was scream and I still hear her voice in my nightmares. I'm glad I saved her but I wish I had been there earlier but that's not even the worst." He stopped for a minute as he knew that his fellow Admiral would not be pleased. "Sengoku hated this too but he was powerless to stop it."

"Just get to the damn point," Kizaru muttered in a rare moment of impatience.

"The World Government ordered it to be covered up. Morgan was sent to that little town along with his family and that was the extent of his punishment. How did the nobles put it…? They felt that the 'whore daughter of Gol D. Roger deserved what she had coming to her'. She had not done anything wrong and even had told Sengoku while riding his goat with a saddle that she wanted to grow up to be a Fleet Admiral like him. The whole situation as well as the lack of punishment likely has been haunting her before she got that weird scar. Fresh pain sometimes overrides the old."

Kizaru sighed and groaned. "Now I got to relay this to Sakazuki. He was pretty pissed I was asking about such things and even more so at the fact he had no idea. It gets complicated. He likes Andy-chan or at least appears so. I think I know my friend well but he either does like her or he's an even cleverer bastard than we thought."

Smoker cursed in surprise at the news. People especially those of importance to Vice-Admirals and Admirals tended to be targeted by vicious pirates with Zephyr being just one example. "So she's likely a target of pirates?"

Kuzan laughed softly to Smoker's surprise and was not surprised to hear his fellow Admiral. "You didn't pay attention when Kuzan said her name did you? Little Andy-chan is less known as Gol D. Andrea. She's had a target on her since being birthed but not by the pirates. Rather ironic eh?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andy scowled in annoyance at her hand and even the couple of men that Admiral Kizaru had ordered to stay near her to act as guards were considering running at the brunette's temper starting to flare. Although not intimidating to the Admiral, the little beams of light she had managed to shoot off had hit one guy in the behind and burnt through the Marine's pants. Other than that, she had no progress. Fed up this training session, she walked to the figurehead and stood near the railing to breathe in the salty, sea air. What she did not anticipate was a sea cow rising from the depths and the Marines shouting to ready the cannon. She knew from her grandfather talking about it that the hull of Marine ships had Seastone along it to deter sea kings so she could determine the creature was not a sea king. She had no idea why but she climbed onto the figurehead and walked to the edge and stood eye to eye with the cow fish. She had an affinity for bovines and wondered if this crossed over to the fishier version. A thought came to her and she smiled. "I hope Akainu-san would appreciate me making a meal out of you."

The cow fish started freaking out and was attempting to back away when she had a bright idea and held out her right hand. As if hypnotized, the cow fish came closer and as it came closer, the Marines panicked only more. One man had enough brains to try knock on the Admiral's cabin but they knew he was in a call and might not take this seriously. "Ummm Andy-dono! Run!" One of the Marines shouted to her in a panic. "I can't get a clear shot if you're in the way."

Andrea's eyes closed as she relaxed from being close to the sea cow and her breathing near stilled. The cow fish drew closer and closer until he touched the palm when her eyes snapped open and started to glow a silvery blue. Thin beams of light shot out of her hand like a netting and started to cover the sea cow but what shocked everyone was that between the netting, the sea cow was starting to freeze. Kizaru had opened the cabin door at this moment and beamed over immediately upon seeing the danger but he did not realize the action startled the brunette. A red blob had left her hand and impacted explosively with the partially frozen sea-going bovine who had taken the surprise and the distance between it and her hand to swim away in fear. She felt intense pain and swayed, barely staying conscious long enough to see her friend catch her before she could fall off the figurehead. Her bloody palm was barely felt over the immense exhaustion she felt.

Kizaru held the practically comatose woman in his arms as he yelled for the ship's doctor to tend to her. He glanced at the Den Den Mushi who certainly had gotten more of a workout in this voyage then he remembered it normally getting. _This is going to be an uncomfortable call to both of them._


	11. Practice Makes Perfect

A fair sized chapter but not too big  
Hope ya'll enjoy and if you have any feedback, let me know :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Practice Makes Perfect**

Smoker groaned looking at the comatose women in the base's hospital wing. The much anticipated arrival yesterday was chaotic with both Admirals greeting each other since both were normally cool as cucumbers but they had no idea what to do in regards to their charge. However despite wanting to help out, they both had been given assignments that would pull both of them far away from Rogue Town and Andrea for a long time. They had agreed on one thing: until she wakes up, they had to avoid informing Admiral Akainu or Vice-Admiral Garp as their reactions would not be pretty. By extension, this meant not informing the Fleet Admiral as he would likely inform them. Smoker sighed and yelled at Tashigi to watch over her while he went to go grab a meal.

* * *

-Inside Andrea's head-

* * *

She had seen a flash of different things but she did not know how long ago. Time felt so irrelevant wherever she was. Before this area, she had been in a forest filled with unusual animals and before that, drinking sake with Admiral Akainu which struck her unusual as she disliked sake. She shivered at the sudden cold. Last time she felt such a chill was when Kuzan saved her a long time ago. Opening her eyes, she winced at the intense pain as well as the stark white light around her. She was standing on the figurehead of the ship surrounded by bright blue water. _Wait this reminds me of Borsalino's ship. Where is he?_ Looking around, she was shocked to see absolutely nothing but the water and the figurehead. She felt nothing around her at all and touched her forehead with her right hand to attempt to alleviate the pain. _What the?_ Her hand or more specifically her palm was bloody with her scar throbbing.

"All because of you joining the Marines, you'll stay this way forever: just a damaged weapon. The ironic thing is, you claim you're doing the right thing for the right reasons but what are you really loyal to, daughter of Roger?" A hooded figure appeared in front of her, floating in the air above the ocean.

Andrea looked on in confusion as he saw an unusual light coming out from under the man's hood on the left side of his face. "You feel familiar to me. Why is that?" Her heart started feeling the pain that had originated from her palm and shoot through her arm so fast it was like Kizaru through the air when he would fight. "Where am I?"

The man shook his head as he did he did, the light around them went out. "You are so weak that I doubt you could protect yourself let alone your brother or even my son." Her eyes widened as he floated closer and she could see an unusual tattoo glow on the man's face. The stern expression mocked her and he floated away. "If you really are that insulted, get your ass in gear and do something about it. Disgrace to the Will of D. is all you seem to be."

She scoffed and although her first steps were tentative, she started running after the figure that had been so rude to her.

* * *

-Hospital Wing, Marine Base in Rogue Town-

* * *

Andrea's eyes snapped open as she took in the dark room. In the corner was a woman sitting with her back to her, polishing a blade. _Huh, is that who was supposed to train me? Shouldn't she notice me wake up?_ Rising slowly, she saw that she was wearing a plain, white dress that was rather modest and went down to her knees. Stepping slowly and quietly, Andy opened the door knob and felt a compulsion to leave out the exit.

Her steps started shaky but after a moment, her steps quickened that it took a moment for her to realize that she was barefoot yet she did not feel any ache in her feet. It did not take long for her to be in the town square, specifically in front of the execution platform. Placing her right hand on the wood of the platform, she felt more pain in her hand but held on tightly then glanced around. "So you actually moved? Amazing." The hooded figure, missing the glow from the face but nonetheless still imposing, stood on top of the platform. "Now that you are here, what are you going to do about it?"

Andrea frowned and tried to reach for her knife when she realized that in her haste, she had not grabbed that or the gun that Garp had given her. _Oh shit, what now?_ "Leading a revolution here sir? This town of beginnings and endings could prove to close the chapter on you."

Laughing grimly, he jumped downwards and before she could jump back, his hand closed over her throat so tightly that she could feel her own sluggish pulse. "So my little niece, shall I erase your shame from the family?"

* * *

-Hospital Wing-

* * *

Tashigi ran out of sword polish and was going to dash to her private room for a moment to grab something but the empty bed caught her attention, making her heart jump into her throat. "Oh no! Smoker-san won't be happy to hear this," she stammered while dashing away hurriedly.

* * *

-Back at the Execution Platform-

* * *

Spots were appearing before her chocolate eyes as she felt her life slip away, her hands weakly grasping onto the man's arm while her legs still felt drained from the dash. She spat, with great effort, at his face and tightened the grip on her right arm. "I'm a poor big sister if I can't protect my family. You, Monkey D. Dragon are a piss poor father and aren't my family. I am more of a sister to Luffy-kun than you are a father to him."

From her palm, he felt an intense chill take his arm. Looking down, he saw her smirk at him as he was losing feeling fast with that part of his body. Before he could strike her, he felt a presence rushing quickly, likely with the aid of a Devil Fruit. Tossing her down like a rag doll, he turned away from her in disgust. "To be an agent of the World Government as a Marine, you sicken me. You have a great ability and to allow yourself to become a pawn for the doing of those vile people I will not allow. To think my father allowed you in the company of those despicable Marines, I loathe being your uncle. You taint your blood more than your father could have. In the world I'm going to build, there is no room for your hypocritical, ideological crap."

The pain in her throat was nothing compared to the relief she felt at the rush of smoke and the following footsteps of a young woman. Looking up, she saw Monkey D. Dragon no longer standing before her. She smiled grimly as the woman began to fret over the red marks on her neck but before the man she knew was Smoker could berate her, she held her hand up. "It's urgent. I need to use a Den Den Mushi."

Smoker frowned as he took in the brunette's condition. Her palm was bloody and the scar which had healed, looked like it had frostbite. He saw cracked feet and her throat still bore the handprint of an unknown, at least to him, assailant. "Calling one of your Admiral pals isn't a priority. Maybe when you woke up, they would have been happy but this isn't the time."

Shaking her head persistently, she knew she had to explain as the man's serious look told her so. "This supersedes them. It's really important. You can sit in on the damn call if you're that worried." Tashigi gave Smoker an odd look as they knew they were going to train the girl but to think she really was ordering them around…

"Sir… maybe in her shock, just using it will help?" Tashigi suggested with determination.

Andrea scoffed and blew in irritation at her hair. _Of course the chick who is too absorbed in her damn sword will think I'm so emotionally scarred. Like she'd know a damn thing about me seeing as she didn't sense me leaving the room_. "Whatever. Take me to the damn snail or at least bring me mine. Same difference to me."

* * *

-An hour later-

* * *

Andrea did not appreciate being forced to wait until the medic had patched up her palm and put an ointment on her feet but going through the fuss and not being able to use the base's Den Den Mushi was too irritating for her to take. Finding out she was in a coma for a week had annoyed her enough, seeing her stuff being handled by unfamiliar people was plan agitating but being denied something she specifically said was important was the line for her. When her personal Baby Den Den Mushi was brought to her, she thanked the Marine who did so while glaring at Smoker and Tashigi while dialing a number that Garp had ingrained into her. The familiar, imposing voice heard gave all the Marines within hearing distance a heart attack.

"This is the Fleet Admiral's office. Who are you and how do you have my private number?"

Tashigi whispered to Smoker but Andrea was able to hear it and smirked. "Not even the Admirals have that number Smoker-san."

"Good morning Sengoku-san. Been a few years since I dialed this number. Was actually worried I'd misdial or Gramps gave me the wrong one." The stares she received at Sengoku's affirming laugh made her feel very smug. "Anyway, we got a situation you need to know about. I know I just woke from a coma but…"

"What do you mean you were in a coma? Being up to date with your condition is very important considering your future role." Andrea snorted and looked at the two Marines with disdain.

"Surely you were informed of why I'm being trained with the Admirals as my handler," she addressed them in a tone that a school teacher would take with a child. "Although my fighting skills are below par, my name as well as this unusual scar make me someone that would be of advantage to the Marines. Thanks to the lack of action, something bad could have happened. Nonetheless, this wasn't the point of the call. Since I'm going to be a Marine or an agent of them, whatever. It's my duty to inform the Fleet Admiral that there is a mole in Marineford."

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in exactly what that meant. "I'll ignore the fact I was uninformed about your coma. I hope everyone realizes the gravity of the situation. Is there anything else Andrea-chan you feel you should add?"

Sighing due to the lack of feeling in her right palm, her gaze hardened. "Monkey D. Dragon has been spotted in Rogue Town."

* * *

-On the Going Merry, a week later-

* * *

Luffy and Usopp were having a merry time together talking about pirate crews but particularly, Shanks's crew. Nami was busy organizing her little area for maps while Zoro was napping in the crow's nest. That adventure had gone over well. Kaya's generosity really gave the Straw Hats exactly what they needed in terms of a humble ship. Taking a bite of some meat that had been brought with them, Luffy pulled out his Baby Den Den Mushi and thought about how to tell his big sister that he had a new ship and a new crewmate. Despite her dislike for liars normally, he felt that Usopp would be an exception. To his pleasure, Andrea picked up right away. "Hey big sis!"

"Luffy-kun, you caught me in the middle of my training. What's up?" Zoro woke up and noticed her voice was wheezy as if she was breathing hard and he glanced from up top of the crew's nest down at Nami who apparently noticed the same but they had been told she was not a pirate or even liked fighting. Luffy's enthusiasm however stopped him from knowing as he had news for her.

"I got a new ship and we got a new crewmate. Remember on Shanks's crew, the sharpshooter Yasopp? It's his son, Usopp! I want to introduce him to you. Usopp, this is my sister Andy!" She laughed but after a minute, started coughing violently. "Oi, what's wrong with you?"

"Oh it's nothing, silly. Just drank some juice and it didn't go down my throat properly," she giggled but even Usopp did not buy the lie as he glanced over to Zoro and Nami. Their looks confirmed his thoughts. "I'm really glad to hear you are doing well and hello Usopp-kun."

"You should get your cough checked Andy-san but it is nice to meet you. If I was there with my medical knowledge, I could get you cured up in an instant!" Andrea sighed her amusement.

"Looks like your merry little crew is just to get more and more exciting. Anything specific happen?"

"Well that Kuro dude supposedly was executed but he obviously wasn't." Nami looked at the crew, wondering what else to add to what she said. It'd be nice to be able to pass this information on wouldn't it Andy-chan?"

"You are right about that Nami-san," Andy murmured with amusement. "I'll get someone on that right away. Now you sneaky lil pirates behave now ok? Luffy-kun, I'll talk later. Got to finish my training session." *Click*

* * *

-Rogue Town Marine base-

* * *

"Andy-san, you should have let the medic patch you up while you were in that call!" Tashigi scolded. Andrea's left side was bleeding heavily because she had attempted to parry Tashigi's sword attack by using her dagger with her left hand but was shocked as well as annoyed at the lack of strength she had in her less dominate arm.

"In a real fight Tashigi-san, I won't have a medic on standby waiting to babysit. We're continuing," she scoffed and after holding the rather deep cut for a moment, she charged but with a specific change in mind. She did not approach head-on but rather, slanted to reduce exposure to the blade while leading with her dagger. Smoker looked on in approval at her attitude.

"We don't want you to be a liability after all." She nodded as she dodged Tashigi's first slash, slashed downwards with her dagger to keep the sword downwards to make her unable to retaliate s easily, twisted her body suddenly, planted her right foot solidly on the ground, then thrust out with her right elbow into Tashigi's ribs. To Andrea's satisfaction, there was a slight crunch. "Interesting tactic. Tashigi, watch your guard. Just because an opponent is injured doesn't mean they are down for the count. Andy, such reckless tactics won't always work if your opponent has more than one weapon or body armor. We'll work on your hand-to-hand fighting later. Take this time to polish up your bladework." Both women nodded and charged each other again.


	12. Titanic Tuna and a Change in Wardrobe

Time for a new chapter! I hope ya'll enjoy :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Titanic Tuna and a Change in Wardrobe**

Andrea woke up from her bed, excitement overwhelming the soreness of her muscles. Smoker had told her yesterday that given her position, she would be able to get a unique outfit. When her reaction had been of great happiness, he had informed her that she necessarily did not have to wear the standard issue and he had struggled to maintain a straight face at her expression. Dashing off to a tailor, she had an idea of what kind of outfit to wear for her missions. A surprise awaited her when she got back to the base and received a jacket from Marineford of her very own. Inside a note from Sengoku and Garp made her smile as she held the jacket carefully and placed it within her closet. She could debut with her jacket with her new, custom made outfit today.

The tailor noticed the enthusiastic brunette entered her shop and smiled. Her services in the town were rarely required but being commissioned to design the girl's outfit was a welcome change of pace. "Andy-san! We finished and put this together for you just in time," she chirped happily handing her the outfit. Passing over Beri to pay, she went to the dressing room to change.

Looking down at her current attire, the only thing she had planned to keep was a pair of ankle black boots which had admittedly become her guilty pleasure. They had a very small, modest heel so that they were functional as well as cute. Her new top was a soft, petal pink tank top that fit snugly but not too tight. Over that, went a white half jacket with the edges trimmed with blue, red and yellow that she kept open. She thought it was a fitting reminder of the Admirals and had the long, white skirt that matched it also have the trim along the edges. So her mobility would not be reduced, she had requested a slit on each side of the long skirt go up to mid-thigh so that it could function as a distraction but not hinder her combat. A simple black belt held the sheath of her knife at the left side of her waist and her gun that Garp gave her had been put in a leg holster slightly above the slit of her skirt on the right side of her leg. Although out of immediate sight, it was within reach if she should need it. She had a single black glove for her left hand as she had discovered the most interesting thing about her scar on her right palm and figured it would be more of a tactical advantage to not have that hand covered.

A doctor that Sengoku had sent over had poked, prodded and while annoying the hell out of the brunette, they had come to some interesting conclusions regarding her power. Although the scar itself could react interestingly with Devil Fruit users or to some extent emulate their power, the rest of her body, yet alone her hand, were unable to do so. This explained why when she attempted to freeze Dragon's arm, why the rest of her hand suffered so she had decided unless she was going to shoot little beams again, to leave the scar for one thing: partially disabling and startling Devil Fruit users. Although not an immediate take down, that could give her an advantage she would not mind exploiting.

Walking out proudly out of the dressing room, the tailor gave her a thumbs up and walking out, she headed to the execution platform that had compelled her so much. She knew this is where her father died but added the fact that she almost died her herself, she felt a connection with the area. Peace, horror and completion emanated from the area.

The Marines in the area saluted to her while she gave them a friendly nod and smile. A couple of the men's eyes light up and they looked at her longingly but she did not even notice. Heading to the town's notice board, she saw to her amusement that there was be a cooking contest today but sighed heavily upon realizing the contest was over. To her sadness, the prize was a Blue-Finned Elephant Tuna which was rumored to taste phenomenal.

Too little too late did she notice the commotion and rushed to the execution stand only to see a man about to be killed. _That's weird… no one would dare. Oh my fucking god. _"Luffy! What the hell are you doing?" The crowd got deadly quiet and everyone stopped fighting. Even back at the Marine base, the people stilled.

Tashigi looked at Smoker who groaned audibly. "Get down there now Tashigi. Andy is going to muck this up."

Alvida and Buggy barely looked deterred and Buggy merely attempted the execution anew. Smiling down crazily at his sister and crewmates, Luffy gave a thumbs up. "Sorry but it looks like I'm dead everyone!"

Andrea's vein pulsed while Zoro and Sanji shouted, all three at once, "Don't say that you idiot!" While Sanji and Zoro were still fending off pirates, Andrea dashed for stand. Reaching for her dagger, Alvida got in her way but that's not like it mattered.

The crackling of thunder and the clap of a lightning strike hit the execution stand. Everyone watched in bewilderment as it caught aflame and started burning. The straw hat flew carefully down only to be picked up but a mostly unconcerned Luffy. "How lucky, I did survive!" Andrea stood in front of her brother, having been scared to death and clutching her heart, just to have the man in question smile at me. "Aren't you going to hug me?"

Laughing, she embraced her brother and smiled gently as she ruffled Luffy's hair and put his hat onto his head. "It's good to see you but you need to cease your dramatics. As much as I really want to hang out, there is a nasty storm out. You should check on your ship's condition like as a good pirate should."

Luffy whined and started shaking his sister. Her arms waving around, she got dizzy and held him tight to make him stop. "But I just saw you for the first time in forever! And you need to meet my crew!" He dragged her over to the swordsman and chef but her jovial annoyance disintegrated quickly.

The blond winced upon recognizing the brunette properly and, after properly checking her out which included her wardrobe change, looked at Luffy in worry. "Ummm, don't take this the wrong way but…" His speech was hindered as he took an elbow to the throat.

Luffy squawked in indignation but Andrea pulled back her elbow and drew her blade, glaring at the cook. "Because you're in my brother's crew, can cook well, and are looking after him, that is the only reason you survive." Sheathing her dagger, she glanced at them before turning her gaze to the platform. "So it appears Dragon finally made an appearance, albeit brief but don't you find it interesting Luffy-kun?" Laughing, he put an arm around her as they walked past Alvida and Buggy's crew unconcerned. She stopped for a moment and glared at the female pirate with an unusual amount of ferocity. "You aren't good enough to date my brother." Turning away, she allowed Luffy to steer her away while he barraged her with questions and many other miscellaneous things that only endeared him more to her.

"I thought dates were supposed to be eaten sis. Why are you dressed like that? You show too much leg. Can you fight better now? Let's fight only all out this time. Oh Sanji don't be mad, she's my sis. She always wins cause I can't hurt her." Chortling, the brunette ducked out of her brother's hug and smiled at him.

"Things are different Luffy-kun. I can fight now but we shouldn't. Anyway, I'll show the three of you the quickest way to the docks." Buggy and Alvida watched as the four of them just walked off, completely disregarding them. Nodding to each other, they attempted to chase Luffy down but to no avail as a thick smoke intercepted them.

Tashigi had taken a different route to intercept the group and seeing Andrea there did put her at ill ease as the two women never saw eye to eye. To Andrea's surprise, Zoro actually recognized the swordswoman and the two got into it. Rolling her eyes, the Straw Hat's sister looked relieved as they continued. _Maybe I won't get in deep shit then. _However, white smoke wafted down to them and groaning, she glanced at her brother and the chef. "Luffy take a different route now! You can't face Smoker like how you are now," she shouted desperately but before she could react, the rubber man had a different idea.

"I'm still stronger than you though sis!" He charged recklessly only to be grabbed by the smoke and unable to retaliate. Sanji panicked and tried to assist by assaulting the Marine but he only rolled his eyes.

"Andrea, running around with pirates is quite the detriment to your position." She stood up and glared at the man who was pummeling her brother when before she could step in, a man in a black coat stood over Smoker. The Marine's hand was frozen onto his weapon as he glanced in fear. Andy scoffed and drew her dagger, contempt evident as she looked at them. "Dragon, stepping in attempt to be a father?"

The man laughed at her as the three pirates escaped in the commotion. Smoker did not know who to be angrier about: the insubordinate Marine or the most wanted man. Settling for berating the revolutionary leader, Andrea slipped away in the heavy rain towards the docks and got to catch a glance at the ship leaving on the harsh, unforgiving waves. Even Smoker appearing next to her, Dragon evidentially gone, did not dent her joy at seeing her brother. "You have a lot of explaining to do. Also, you neglected to mention your relation to that Straw Hat or his relation to Dragon. Hiding a lot of secrets isn't going to save you and even the Fleet Admiral would be enraged."

Chuckling softly, she shoved with her right palm to force Smoker's smoke to dissipate and allowed herself to get out of his grip. "I'm sorry you're not important enough to know but," she looked at him with a hard glare. "No one fucks with my family for just sharing a name with Dragon. I won't let you take in my baby brother so easily even if I have to stop you myself."

The man shoved her into the base as he began to yell at the Marines his plans to pursue the Straw Hats into the Grand Line. Smiling softly, she started to walk to retrieve her Marine coat from her room as she still was curious how it would look with her new outfit but Smoker's voice stopped her.

"An Admiral will be here within a few days. You are expected to wait for him and not take off. Doing so would make you a pirate."

Sneering at her fellow Marines, she stuck her nose high in the air to show how she felt about it. "Idiot Smoker-san, I'm not a pirate now am I?"


	13. Lucky

Wheee!

Been slightly distracted by Kings Road as me and my husband have been playing it together :)  
Nonetheless, I shot out a chapter for ya'll so I hope you enjoy it  
Thanks for those who review, follow, or favorite as I appreciate every bit of it :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Lucky**

Andrea groaned at her immense boredom. Smoker and Tashigi had left with nary a peep to the World Government as if expecting her to cover for them or at the least to inform someone but who would listen to her? Anyone who knew about her situation was way too high up to be the first to hear after all, she had been lectured thoroughly about the chain of command from the aftermath of calling the Fleet Admiral. Glancing out her window, she saw nothing on the horizon and after dressing in her nice, new outfit, stepped out to the meal hall.

To her immense aggravation, she had been ordered to not leave the base at all and to await the arrival whichever Admiral would be retrieving her. Her problem was there was a lack of real way to do her training since no one else at the base was anywhere near Tashigi's level and Andrea had considered herself to be close to her level. Hence, training was boring as well as the other Marines being scared to injure her and therefore, she resorted to other methods to stay active.

Practicing the stretches she had been taught for a few moments, she switched over to a couple of the katas that Smoker had shown her. Despite the two of them antagonizing each other often, which only increased after her brother escaping, she did admit he was a good fighter who could easily put her in her place despite her palm's unusual power. When it came to his underling Tashigi, Andrea had opted to just ignore her outside of training and sparring exercises. While her knowledge of blades was interesting, she just wanted the basics of dagger use and how to counter a swordsperson and really did not care about picking up a sword. While no love was lost between the two women, she admittedly was taken aback when she was hugged by Tashigi and even her wanting to keep her hard ass façade in front of Smoker did not mask the shock she felt.

Barking at one of the Marine recruits to bring her something from the market to eat as she dubbed the meal hall's fare unpalatable, she laid back and watched some of the Marines go through their drills. She was about to close her eyes when a different recruit brought her a message, claiming it had been left in the mail box for her the other day. Genuinely shocked as anyone who would want to contact her easily could via her baby Den Den Mushi or the base's own, she opened the letter carefully after thanking the soldier turned errand boy.

"Dear Andy-san,

I didn't tell Luffy that I'm writing this but it's due to the fact I don't think he knows that you're a Marine or at the least, affiliated with them. Enclosed is evidence about some Marines who were taking bribes from the pirate Arlong as well as terrorizing the general populous of a small village known for their oranges. I hope this helps and that you could pass this onto someone who can help.

Pirate or not, my mother was a Marine and I realize the importance of the Marines in keeping order and if giving a little information protects someone else's village, I'm willing to help.

Sincerely,  
Nami"

Andrea closed the letter and looked in the envelope to see an interesting amount of damning documentation. Sighing as she would have to be a good little paper pushing Marine, she walked to the office to make a call.

* * *

-Meanwhile on a Marine battleship-

* * *

The crew was hustling and bustling as the ship approached the Rogue Town Marine base. They would only be at the island for a couple days tops but getting off the ship would be a welcome change from the constant seagoing life. The noblewoman they had escorted being off the ship vessel significantly raised everyone's mood, grumpy Admiral included. Docking was done with little fanfare as everyone was eager for a day to themselves. Exiting the ship, Akainu saw the base's Marines saluting led by one person whose outfit was eye-catching. Walking in front of the brunette, the Admiral nodded at the Marines, allowing them to return to duties. "Andrea-san, I hope your experience in the Marines has been favorable. Where is Smoker? He is in charge here."

Laughing as she escorted him in, she handed him the letter she had been sent by Nami and led him into Smoker's now empty office. "He pursued Luffy into the Grand Line despite orders. Seems me accidentally blurting out that Dragon is his father and me claiming him as my brother aggravated him quite a bit," the brunette stated rather smugly. "I learned a bit but I know I got a ways to go. So Akainu-san, has the daughter of Roger earned the right to be trained by you?"

A small smile formed as he glanced at the slight musculature that she had gained. "What reassurance do I have that you won't assist Dragon? After all, I have been rather in the dark about your training regiment or even the fact you were comatose."

Looking downwards, the female Marine looked slightly uncomfortable. "Well, I can't help it about being comatose but I guess I should have let you know about the aftermath. I really wanted to surprise you with my progress but I'm sorry. And considering Dragon tried to strangle me, you could say there is no love lost between us and I essentially told him he's not my family. Why are you so overly concerned about it though? All the Admirals are going to be my handlers so why the specific interest?"

It was now Akainu's turn to be uncomfortable and he was not keen to admit why. Spending the last few weeks with that noblewoman was made hellish when a minor crewmate slipped and mentioned Andrea's prior presence on the ship. The burly Admiral was not pleased to be questioned about the daughter of Roger due to the fact with every minor question that was answered, the more degrading and hostile the noblewoman became. _However, despite her tainted blood… _Looking her straight into her eyes, his mind was made up. "I was concerned about your welfare."

A thin eyebrow was raised. "I appreciate your concern I guess but the others were concerned to. Is it just concern you feel?"

Groaning, he waved her off as she grinned. "Frustrating woman asking too many damn questions." Holding up the letter he had been handed, he glanced away attempting a subject change. "So do I want to know how you obtained evidence about this? Odd thing is I know for a fact that that this man is the one who put the bounty out on your brother's head. We need you to be completely unbiased."

Growling, her hand went to her dagger, drew it and threw it past his head. He looked on in boredom as the blade embedded into the wall next to him, slightly chipping the stone. "I'd risk it being called bias if it eliminated a major threat in the peaceful East Blue. That Fish Man bribed Marines to look the other way and if those Marines had scruples in the first place, that little village would not have suffered all these years and those Marines who went to investigate wouldn't have ended up dead. I don't want innocent people suffering while scum are doing whatever the fuck they want because of corruption."

The fire burning in the woman's eyes made Akainu smile and he drew in closer. "I very much like your sense of justice; it's attractive in a woman such as yourself."

A blush flushed her face before she gave a small look to him. "Such as myself? The daughter of a criminal?"

"No. A woman willing to fight for justice who just happens to look cute doing so." The blush became even more pronounced at his words. "I'm happy to work with you on your training but we should do a quick look over the island. With Smoker leaving how he did, some ruffians might try to skirt justice."

Nodding, she motioned towards the base's Den Den Mushi. "I need to make a quick call." Raising an eyebrow, he looked on with curiosity to which she just sighed. "You'll understand in a minute."

"This is Admiral Kizaru and…"

"Oi. I owe you that 50,000 Beri so stop teasing me every day." Akainu was perplexed until his friend started laughing.

"Oooooo is there a story here? Is Sakazuki there?"

Sighing, she confirmed that he was there to which the Admiral kept laughing. "And… let Aokiji know I owe him 100,000." The laughter became louder until she hung up in annoyance.

"Why do you owe them money?" The flush on Andrea's face had not even died down but only became more vivid thinking back on it.

"They called me, annoyed I'd been so quiet, until I told them I was going to honor all the Admirals with my outfit. They demanded to see it and placed bets on your reaction." He snickered which did not alleviate her blush at all and instead only made it look like a horrible sunburn on her face now.

"Why are you so embarrassed? Would you like me to call them telling them how I feel about you?" The brunette's eyes widened and it felt like her heart skipped a beat. "You light my heart on fire," he grinned but Andrea's forehead met with the desk.

"Ugh you Admirals and your puns." He did spy the small smile on her face though and he himself felt relieved that he had confessed his interest to her. "Anyway, there is one more thing before we go." She reached with her right hand, for her pistol and placed it on the desk in the Admiral's sight. "I want you to have this as a show of trust."

Looking with interest at the gun, he gave it back to her, cherishing the feel of her hands as he dropped the gun into them and the look of wonder in her eyes. "I appreciate the gesture but I want you to be protected. After all, those Seastone bullets could save your life." Pure shock registered on her face and she almost dropped the gun out of surprise.

"How did you…?"

"Who do you think recommended to your grandfather the gun?" Comprehension dawned as she held the gun close to her for a moment before putting it back on the holster. "It means a lot that you wanted to reveal something that could be so potentially damning to me. Anyway, down to business yes?"

Walking out of the room, the duo felt more lighthearted than they had in days.


	14. A Deserted Island

I hope you all are enjoying reading so far :)  
Lemme know what you think!

A tiny bit of drama and sexual tension as well as humor follows

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 14: A Deserted Island**

When she had been told that Akainu wanted to speak with her, the brunette was only too happy to interrupt her training regimen. Exercising on a ship had its limitations and was often interrupted by the day to day activities associated with being on a vessel. What she did not expect was walking in on the Admiral, shirtless, trimming a little bonsai. Flushing a bright crimson, she turned around and shrieked before she could stop herself, "Put on a shirt before you send for me you pervert!"

The normal chatter on the ship grinded to a screeching halt so suddenly one could swear you could hear the wind whistle. Chuckling, he pulled on her wrist and tugged her inside his cabin before she could object and then closed the door. Once the knob clicked indicating it was locked, whispers among the crew had begun, speculating on what would happen.

Smirking rather cockily in her opinion, the Admiral looked down at the flustered woman in his grasp. "I didn't think you'd lack the manners to knock. This is a ship full of mostly men after all and they will be conversing on what we could possibly be doing. Your little statement earlier didn't help." Directing her to a small table, that had his bonsai as a centerpiece, she seated herself. He handed her a sake cup and although she preferred to not drink, she took it in hand, held it out for him to pour sake into it. After filling the cup, she took a timid sip and to her surprise, found it to her liking. "If you disliked sake, must have been some cheap crap."

Laughing softly as she replenished his sake cup, she felt light and knew it was not due to the alcohol flowing through her blood stream. The burly Admiral had helped correct some of her fighting stances and served as a punching bag by blocking her strikes or simply allowing them to flow through his body by letting his body turn into magma. She was shocked the first time it happened and he went into detail explaining the main thing with controlling a logia Devil Fruit power was controlling what it affected and often this took many years of discipline. He had demonstrated at the time by turning his hand into magma and slowly stroking her cheek. The result had her face producing a heat comparable to the magma stroking it in the first place. Andrea glanced at the man in front of her and chuckled. "What's with the expression on your face?"

Winking at her, he raised his sake cup to her. "Just thinking about you, my dear." The statement produced an intense heat and even though pretending to be preoccupied with the alcohol in his hand, he did eyeball the woman who shuffled rather cozily in front of him. "In any case, those men will be gossiping even worse than ever and the navigator told me we were rather close to a small island. Traveling here in the Grand Line, we need to be careful little Andy-chan," he teased and the color in her cheeks rose due to agitation.

"Don't call me little, Sakazuki," she scolded playfully while observing him put away the sake. Pulling a shirt of his dresser, she tilted her head in wonder. "Why did you wait til now to put on a shirt?"

Beaming at her, he motioned to her body. "Now you know how I felt the first time I woke you up. If you recall, you practically planted yourself on me with very, very few articles of clothing on." He stood up and escorted the scarlet-faced woman out.

"At this rate, I'm going to look like a bloody tomato by the time we anchor."

* * *

-Middle of Grand Line-

* * *

Aokiji paused riding his bicycle when his baby Den Den Mushi rang. Answering, he became highly amused to know he had won the bet and begun to plot more with Admiral Kizaru. Never before had he expressed any interest in his rival, Akainu, but the involvement of Andrea did make things rather interesting on many levels for all the Admirals.

* * *

-Marine Battleship-

* * *

Exiting the ship onto the very small, nameless island was done quietly and some Marines had scouted the island and dubbed it uninhabited. The prospect of camping, which she had not done since Ace had left Foosha Village, was thrilling but one other prospect had intrigued her even more.

Actual training from an Admiral but not just any Admiral but the one strutting off the ship shirtless looking like he had not a care in the world. _Wait, why is he shirtless again? He had a shirt on but a minute ago. Ugh._ "You appear to enjoy this too much."

Like clockwork, the start of their bantering, silenced all the minor Marines who began to watch the scene before them as if it was a play. "It's hot out here," the Admiral deadpanned and whispers erupted around before one recruit did a rather loud stage whisper.

"He's hot for you rather." Andrea flushed so quickly that steam came out of her ears while she turned around in anxiety and Akainu glanced back at his staff as if daring the Marine to speak again. When met by silence, he took a defensive position in front of the woman he was training and held out his hand to motion her forward.

"We will begin by sparring and an important part of fighting you obviously know of seeing the outfit you have assembled for yourself. Distraction is a powerful tool and you will master how not to see anything unnecessary and to focus on the battle." What did not help was when he tensed, his muscles rippled and with her eyes, Andrea could only too well let her eyes dwell on the attractive mass of a man that was before her.

The young woman grumbled as the Admiral's body stilled since he was awaiting her move. She kicked into the sand with her foot as she gave the bulky man a cursory glance. "Focusing on you is more interesting than the blighted training right now," she muttered as she got into an offensive stance. To her horror, the same Marine from earlier had another smart ass comment.

"That means she's checking you out sir!" Of course, this had to be stated while she was attempting to charge the Admiral but the shock of the statement as well as the pleased shrug the Admiral had made her slip onto the sand and flop none to gracefully, face first into the sand.

The Admiral tutted at her as he strode over and nudged her prone form with his foot. "You need to block out distractions and focus on your target." Unbeknownst to him, she smiled into the sand as she swung her right arm towards his leg and gripped his leg firmly. The motion unbalanced him slightly but his greater weight as well as muscle stopped her from pulling him or swaying him. However, she used the resistance to her gripping his leg and dragged herself upwards. Propelling herself at him, she swung with a left elbow towards his chest just for him to barely scoot out of the way. "I applaud you for turning a moment of weakness into a surprise attack but…" he leaned away as she tried to round house kick him with her right leg and barely struck at her left leg which made her crumple. "You are full of openings."

Landing on the sand again irritated her but at least the headstrong Marine who spoke up earlier chose to be silent. "That's what training is for is it not?" She pushed herself up and although shorter than the burly Admiral, stared at him intensely. "I have to take advantage of any attributes or knowledge I possess in a fight after all yes?" Nodding, the Admiral was suddenly shocked when the brunette tossed aside her jack and started to unzip her long skirt to reveal a very short pair of shorts that matched her soft, pink top. She noticed all too well her sparring partner as well as the other Marines around them becoming _very_ distracted. Openly leering at the topless Admiral, she charged forward in her rather skimpy ensemble. "I think I just evened the odds, no?"


	15. Sleeping Desires

Glad to see another favorite and follow :)  
I hope ya'll like this chapter and let me know what you think!

Some fluff in the chapter as well as a battle scene

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Sleeping Desires**

Andrea stirred from her sleep, rather confused as to why she was so warm but not even just warm; an overwhelmingly strong heat but it had a feeling that was just so _him. _Opening her eyes, the warmth shifted around her as she was dumped into a bed unceremoniously.

"About time you woke up." Her eyes widened as she saw a shirtless Akainu and noticed that they were no longer on the beach of the little cute island but rather, in his cabin and furthermore, on his bed. She looked to see her jacket and skirt had been folded carefully onto his bedside table. "You fell asleep while we were training and when I 'attempted' to wake you, you felt it was a fun time to assault me using that as a weakness, attempted to grapple me, and fall asleep whilst holding onto me. Like a monkey baby holding onto its mother, you wouldn't let go even when passed out."

Reclining onto the bed while he paced around the cabin, she sighed softly. "Thanks for the training session sir. I hope I wasn't too much of a burden."

He snorted as he sat next to her on the bed. "You talk in your sleep a lot you know." Her throat tightened as she feared exactly _which_ dream she might have vocalized. "I must say I am flattered you wanted me to save you Andrea-chan."

Her eyes widened not with shock but confusion. She usually remembered her dreams and her prior dreams had been particularly vivid and revolved around Sabo's grave with her scar, Ace leaving, her near rape experience at Marineford, or of Akainu. While a rather new development, dreams about him had revolved around a completely different theme from her other dreams: lust. While now she admittedly did feel some romantic inclinations that did surpass lust for the Admiral, he had never starred in any dream that involved her being saved by him. "What did I say exactly?"

Scrunching his eyebrows, he tightened his arm around her and rubbed her arms reassuredly. "You kept mumbling for me to save you from some frilly, extremely tall and flamboyant blond man who was making a pass at you."

Shaking her head in confusion, she snuggled into his arms. "Well, if you save me from my dreams, I guess I'm safest here aren't I unless you have objections?" Snickering softly into her hair as he pulled her closer, he held her as he felt sleep pull at him.

* * *

-Ace's dream-

* * *

He was used to dreaming about fire quite often after consuming his Devil Fruit but admittedly, what he did not expect was being surrounded by a flame he could not control. What amazed as well as scared him more, was he sister standing in front of him holding her right hand out with a flame hovering above her scar. "My fiery twin," she smirked as the flames shot past his head and lit more of the surrounding scenery aflame. "How are you doing my dear brother?" she stood in front of him, holding her arms out as if awaiting a hug.

The flame user however felt antsy as he noticed her outfit. Dressed in typical Marine getup, complete with standard issue rifle, his twin felt distant just by their outfits and it frankly bothered him on several levels. "Sis, what's with that outfit?" He yanked off the offending cap she had on her head and tossed it into the flames while she looked at him in contempt. "I know you ain't a pirate but never did I think you'd be one of _them._"

Snorting as she ripped off his hat and he watched as it burnt in her hand, she blew the ashes into his face. "Let's call this atonement my brother. I'm purging our family of its digressions against humanity by trying to help it." Next to them, a wall surged out of the ground and he saw it covered with wanted posters. He recognized some names and to his pleasure, saw his brother's name. Other pirates, some major and some minor, littered the wall so much that you could not see an uncovered brick. She slapped the wall with her hand as she glared at him. "Out of these scourges of the sea, how many actually give a damn about people?"

Before the pirate could answer, he felt the heat of the flames die out around them. The only light came from the covered wall as it attempted to illuminate the darkness surrounding them. "I know some pirates are shit sis but what are you doing? You know that I won't do anything bad or that Luffy won't either!"

A few posters flew off the wall by an unknown wind and one hit him in his face. He lifted off to see that it was his own poster. Glancing at the wall, it was devoid of the photos of friendlier pirates. Shifting his glance over to his twin, he saw an uncharacteristically dark sneer on his twin's normally calm, peaceful face. "It's not just about you two or your crews. I will obliterate these vile people if it saves everyone else and you will not stop me." She came close to his ear and her somber tone shifted even more. "You claim our name is a curse. Well, you bailed out by taking mother's name but I'm dealing with it." She put her hand on his chest and shoved him through the wall. He did not even feel the impact as the bricks collapsed around him. Wanted posters shredded around his face like confetti.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" He sat up in a chilling sweat as he glanced around the boat. His crewmates gave him weird looks as they noticed he had been having intense difficulty sleeping and for the normally heavy sleeping man, it was just plain odd.

* * *

-Next day-

* * *

The Marine crew on the battleship was bustling about busily, fueled by something other than just justice today. Seeing how soft the Admiral's face had gotten after the training and Andrea falling asleep had given the men hope for something that they had dreamt of for years: the cold man actually displaying traits of his Devil Fruit. The warmth they saw in his expression before he remembered the crew watching the scene had given them hope. Working like a well oiled machine, they felt that the ship was moving even faster than normal. It was an oddly cheerful day and even the minor pirate vessel spotted on the horizon did not dim their spirits as the navigator headed to the Admiral's cabin to let him now and was very pleasantly shocked to see a female face open the door. "Ah Andrea-san! Please let the Admiral know we're awaiting orders as we spotted a pirate ship. The flag is of a rather hostile crew that is wanted by the World Government."

Nodding she dismissed the grinning navigator; she walked back into the room. Akainu had heard the navigator and started dressed but he did not notice the female observe him dress. Turning around and seeing her look rather pleased, he gave her a brief kiss on the lips that left her breathless. She touched her lips as he draped her Marine jacket on her. Andy smiled softly as he motioned her outside. Addressing the crew, he squinted at the ship before touching Andrea's shoulder. "So Andrea-san, ready to take down some hostiles?"

She nodded happily as he held her right hand with his left, the Admiral planted his legs firmly and swung his arm and released her. To send her towards the ship, he used his magma to propel her towards the ship. Her hand shook slightly as some of the pressure from the magma she increased the power using her palm which made her go further. Smirking to herself, she landed onto the pirate ship in a puff of woodchips as she impacted rather roughly with the deck. Standing up to her full, and she just realized rather imposing height, she easily intimidated everyone on the ship. Full panic ensued as they spotted her jacket and drawing her dagger, her eyes glinted rather steely as she charged forward.

The first down was rather difficult as she was worried how she would handle performing her duty but after slashing the man's throat, she turned around and kicked a man in his leg so hard, his femur cracked. Dodging a couple bullets, she grinned rather wildly as she stomped down hard onto the deck. Splinters shot up as she forced her right elbow into another pirate's chest. The loud snapping noise was overshadowed by her laughter as she closed her eyes and felt at peace. The captain of the ship ran at her and started shouting in anger. Her eyes snapped open, glinting wildly, as she smirked.

It only took ten more minutes before she secured the ship. By the time the Marine vessel had anchored next to the pirate caravel, she was lounging rather lazily on the deck. The broken bodies of the men of the ship around her decorated the ship rather grimly as Akainu jumped over and surveyed the sight before him. "Rather brutal yet effective."

Nodding, she motioned below the deck as she stood up. "I checked the ship sir. Slaves from the East and South Blue had been taken to be sold in Alabasta. Seems rather coincidental no?"

Sending his men to check on the unwilling human cargo, he escorted the rather calm female back to the Marine battleship. "Indeed so. Your actions make me more assured you will do the necessary thing." Placing an arm around her, he did not care if the other Marines saw them. She placed her hand in his and leaned against him. "I am rather surprised though how calm you are however. What brought this about?"

Looking at him through her long eyelashes, she pecked him on his check. "I had a rather pleasant dream that made me realize I should accept my life. I'm helping people, found someone I care about and protect my family. What is so bad about that?"

Moving her hair away from her face, he saw her intense eyes soften at his gaze. "What did you dream?"

"Of you of course," she shyly said. Squeezing his hand happily, she went to the lavatory to clean up while he went to supervise his crew on the other ship.


	16. Sandy Spying

A long awaited moment, at least to me, which pleased me greatly.  
Please enjoy

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Sandy Spying**

Docking in the desert kingdom had been rather lackluster but one moment did stand out in Andrea's mind. They had dropped her off away from any settlements in an attempt to be inconspicuous and had even obtained her some clothing of the country so that her observation of Alabasta could be done without stirring up attention. The Admiral and the daughter of Roger had conversed at great length in his cabin about exactly what would be expected of her. Leaving the cabin, they were greeted by the crew of the ship saluting the pair. Andrea looked at the sight sadly as she had felt companionship with the Marines and with Akainu, she felt a deep sense of peace. He was a brutal man but she knew that justice did not come easy with mere words and promises.

Looking at the sandy countryside, she felt drawn to Akainu as he placed a hand on her shoulder assuredly. "Perform well Andrea-san. May justice be dealt and observed by your righteous palm." Rolling her eyes at his formality, she smiled happily but before she could turn away, he pulled her close to him. "Be safe," he murmured to her quietly as he drew even nearer. "Let this be motivation for an easy mission for you."

Before she could question his actions or ponder her own, the distance between the pair was closed. She sighed into his kiss and wrapped her slim arms around his toned neck as his muscular arms cradled her figure to his. Eyes slide closed in tranquility and unspoken trust radiated from the tall duo. Whistles and cheers were heard around them but they did not acknowledge them in the slightest. Finally pulling away, she held his hand for a moment and whispered to him softly. "This isn't goodbye Sakazuki-kun. This is me going to work and I'll come back."

Finally departing the ship, Andrea looked at the leaving ship with a great pain in her heart before continuing to her planned destination. Rainbase had a nice casino she had planned to visit and snoop around in. After all, what better place to hear about trouble than around a Shichibukai?

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin shivered and felt darkness around her when she glanced out her window. Irrational fear seized her throat and her Devil Fruit powers flared as her eyes shut abruptly with hands sprouting out around her acting as a shield. The fears and trauma of Ohara which she had not forgotten but merely repressed surged through her faster than Luffy devouring meat. Mental images swamped her mind as she felt the terror of the Buster Call, watched the refuge ship being sank by a cruel Admiral, and her holding a wanted poster depicting her own image.

Keeping up the aloof, sexual image of Miss All Sunday had been rather burdening at first but she had the mentality that kept her sane despite constantly betraying people since that Buster Call. Finding the True History overrode any reservations about working with Crocodile and his organization. Laughing softly at the irony of being associated with a Shichibukai who answered to the government that persecuted her, she shook slightly as the red sky felt especially foreboding to her. It was only a matter of time before Crocodile suspected her motives and no amount of skimpy outfits, flirtatious words or even force would stop him from exacting punishment upon her.

Departing her room once she grabbed her cowgirl hat, the raven haired woman schooled her features into picture perfect calamity as she left her concerns and fears in her sleeping quarters.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace sat inside his Striker, relaxing as he allowed it to drift. Chasing a former crewmate murdering one of their own, he had felt stressed but the recent influx of disturbing and very confusing dreams or rather nightmares had made his narcolepsy even more pronounced. He had even tried and failed to stay awake to avoid the more disturbing dreams. Attempting to contact his sister had met with failure as he was told simply to "piss off" by an unknown man when he last attempted to call with the intent to apologize for calling her with his crew drunk in the background.

Noticing a Marine battleship in the distance, he allowed his flames to flare so the Striker would scoot out of sight. Given whom he was, one could never take too many chances but he wondered if he put more stress on his twin. They had been young when he had been slapped after she had come home crying after a trip to Marineford with Garp when he coldly asked her if she enjoyed her time with the Marines and betraying her pirate blood. The slap had felt like nothing compared to the cold eyes behind her many tears or the words of a furious grandfather moments later when she ran out.

Even though she never stopped loving him as her twin brother, Ace knew he screwed up hard. No, fucked up rather. Even attempting to protect his sister's honor from drunken pirates and wannabe bandits as they grew older, never did she look at him again with more than bare necessary warmth. He held the dagger that was Andrea's dagger's twin tightly and wondered why he was so rash back then. If he had the demeanor now that he did back then, how much pain and suffering could have been prevented?

What made it worse was the time that Garp was tailed while visiting the twins a mere month after her near rape. The Vice-Admiral had been too jubilant with the visit to realize he was followed yet Ace felt tense due to his sister's behavior that he already was overly observant about everything. Matters worsened when Andrea went to pick some fruit to prepare a meal for her hungry family when a cruel Marine grabbed her and started screaming at her about her ancestry. His sister froze for a moment, stiff with fear but before Ace could go defend his sister, she went berserk. Punching the man straight in the chest, she screamed bloody murder as she struggled in the man's grip. Of course Garp apprehended the man and reprimanded him but the damage was done.

His sister was damaged and he was too selfish to help her out. She never told him and he did not care to ask what she dreamed of but yet, Andrea listened intently to his dreams and to Sabo's. When Luffy became their brother, she listened happily and accepted his dreams but they never wondered about her own dreams. His sister would always hold them, cook for them and even protected him from hostile townspeople but did he really feel the pain she did?

Holding his Baby Den Den Mushi to himself, he dialed a familiar number that he knew he did not call near often enough.

* * *

-Two weeks later-

* * *

Andrea cursed as she strode into her hotel room and removed her gladiator style sandals from her feet. They ached at the lack of arch support she preferred her foot ware to have and itched with the blasted sand that was prevalent around the area. Rainbase was rather boring when she was not allowed into the casino yet but she was working the area hard to be let in. Flashing her Marine credentials was not the way to get in because if that was all it took, any Admiral could have strolled in and solved the problem with much less effort.

Her stomach grumbled reminded her painfully of her brothers as she looked in annoyance at her room. She had no kitchenette in her room but disliked how anytime she was treated in anytime she attempted to get food from any vender. The general distrust for her due to her not being of Alabastan blood and to her contempt, for being female, made her want to leave the area and attempt to scope out other settlements in an attempt to acclimate better to the culture and hopefully develop a tolerance for these people. At least she had two words that served as a lead for her investigation that she heard from a drunken man who was found dead in an alley later that night.

Baroque Works.


	17. Enter Sandman

The chapter title felt rather cliche and I had planned a different chapter name but as I was typing this short chapter, I heard that Metallica song on the radio and it felt rather fitting

Enjoy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Enter Sandman**

Adjusting her false glasses that she had adapted to fit her disguise even more, she was sitting in a bar eating some curry that they specialized in. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead in exhaustion at finding out how bad of a state the country of Alabasta was in. The ruling situation was a whole other sea king sized mass of convoluted hell that only got more complex the more she dug into the situation. A missing princess and relatively passive monarch only was the tip of the iceberg but realizing how much political and economic power resided in Rainbase frankly was disturbing. She reached into her handbag to softly stroke the Baby Den Den Mushi she had in there to relax herself but it only served to agitate her. While she was pleased and surprised to hear an apology from her twin, hearing he was around Alabasta made her anxious of the thought of him seeing her. She had no heard from Luffy but had faith in his crew to take care of him; especially Nami as she felt that the navigator had a good handle on her brother's shortcomings.

Her heart ached though when she closed her eyes to think about her favorite Admiral. Blushing, her lips still felt the kiss that he gave her: quiet, firm passion with definite warmth. While very much thrilled at him making a move romantically, the fact that she had to avoid contacting him or his fellow Admirals, their friends, made her feel rather lonely. While she had always been a rather solemn, solitary person compared to her brothers, solitude from familiar people did not serve her well in the slightest. What irritated her was she could push away some of the people who had approached her with ill intent, she could not do so violently which had the unfortunate side effect that she kept being approached since they had the gall to believe she was simply playing hard to get. Her alibi did not make things easier but it gave her an excuse to stick around and unfortunately gave those men hope.

She was a mail-order bride for a man in Alabasta. Using the money sent by her future husband, she had given some to her brother to help him accomplish his dream and spent the rest chartering a vessel to the Grand Line to complete the marriage contract. When hearing the story, the bartender and wait staff of the little pub she had been eating in had felt extremely sympathetic. This removed most of the suspicions that the locals had for her and even made quite a few of them willing to speak to her. The door opened suddenly and people silenced immediately. Raising her eyes from her curry, she looked to try to determine the source of fear that she had felt all her fellow patrons exude.

A tall, intimidating black haired man strode inside followed by a svelte, raven haired but unlike her companion, was a hat wearing woman. Seeing her properly once she was in the bar, Andrea's heart dropped seeing who it was and fear gripped her stomach with an ice vice. _I'm really staring at Nico fucking Robin. Dammit. I can't tell any of the Admirals either or this whole country is in danger._ The man Andrea had recognized with dread as the Shichibukai Crocodile, complete with hook. _Now this just reeks of conspiracy. Any crazier and they'll both end up leading Baroque Works._

The cocky man walked to the bar and sat onto the stool, allowing his golden hook to drag into the bar's counter where it caused some of the wood to splinter and chip. The curvy woman chose to stand and survey the bar. Some of the dodgier people picked this time to evacuate the building. The remaining people looked down out of pure fear and reverence while Andrea looked out from under her eyelashes to carefully observe. The duo conversed very quietly with the bartender and upon finally finishing her curry, Andrea stood up quietly and carried her bowl and plate to the counter. The trio silenced immediately as the dishes clanked noisily. The bartender nodded in fear as Andrea turned away to leave but a multitude of arms emerged, holding the tall lanky woman in place by gripping her legs in place. "You don't look like a native. What is your business in Alabasta?"

Wincing from the hands that restrained her movement, she stilled and looked back at them over her shoulder with a look she hoped resembled fright. The bartender took the cue to skedaddle but the dark haired pair ignored that and looked at her with curiosity as well as their full attention. "I'm a mail order bride awaiting my husband but he hasn't come yet to retrieve me. I wonder what could be keeping him."

Laughing, the tall man got up and walked to her. He took her dainty chin in his hand and twisted her head to force her to look into his eyes. "How gullible do you think I am?" Andrea squirmed uncomfortably as she felt a slight dryness in her face. "You look very different than many women I've seen. Your height is," he drew his lips close to her ears as he whispered rather suggestively, "rather attractive. You have captured my attention and I wonder what we could _discuss together_." The undercover Marine noticed Nico Robin shift slightly, glancing away. The Shichibukai's gaze turned to her body. "I wonder if I'll have a use for you."

On instinct and out of disgust for the blatant advances, Andrea's arm lashed out and she slapped the powerful man with her right arm. The sound reverberated around the room and any patrons brave enough to still be in the room dashed out in a stream of panic. Robin's eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock. Her Devil Fruit arms fell away from Andrea's legs and she glanced at her partner as his silence was _not_ a good sign. The man's face, red handprint included, had turned stony as he grabbed the panicking woman's wrist hard and yanked her towards the exit. The quiet archeologist followed, curious as to how the woman had slapped him in the first place.

A couple tears slipped through Andrea's eyes as she contemplated her situation. She may have blown her cover completely and failed.


	18. Prison Break

****This chapter will primarily highlight the character development and changes that Andrea realizes she's going through.

Enjoy and lemme know what you like!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Prison Break**

_Talk about a gilded cage,_ thought Andrea in contempt as she looked at her room. There was a silken, four poster bed facing the window which although barred, had a beautiful view of Rainbase. The floor was some exotic, snowy white marble. Ivory combs and hair accessories were next to a dresser that had some gold trim and a big round mirror. What bothered Andrea most of all was the raven haired woman, bearing fruit, in an ebony bowl as if in a peace offering. "Cut the crap. You don't want to be here like I don't want to be here."

Smiling serenely at the frustrated woman, Robin placed the bowl down on an ebony table in the room and sat next to the woman who was lounging on a velvet couch. "You act like working for Crocodile-san will be so bad. He's formed quite the impressed opinion of you."

Snorting rather unladylike, Andrea got off the couch to avoid being so close to the Demon of Ohara. "He can shove his opinion next to the stick up his ass. Like I told you two, I'm awaiting my fiancé."

Laughing in a clear, musical tone, the Devil Fruit user merely smirked. "No one is more powerful in Alabasta than Crocodile-san. Not even the king or his absent princess can hold a candle to that power."

Narrowing her coffee colored eyes, Andrea threw her hair over her shoulder in contempt and sneered, "I'm sure that's _all_ you're here for isn't it Nico Robin? Not satisfied with only destroying the lives of Ohara I see." The seductively dressed woman's face froze as the words bounced in her head painfully. Andrea, noticing she had hit a sore spot, smirked and waved her hand towards her attire as she continued, "That explains that outfit I suppose. How hard did you have to ride that Shichibukai to agree to help you?"

*CRACK!*

Andrea held her now red cheek with pleasure as Robin glared at her in rage. "You don't understand! Just knowing how to read a Poneglyph made me a criminal! All those people died and didn't have to. None of it is my fault in the slightest."

Laughing scornfully, she regarded the wanted woman with disdain. "You should have just killed yourself. At least then those people would not have died in vain. Your very existence should be punished with death. " _Wait… what am I saying? _Robin's eyes darkened with hatred as she stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Andrea sighed as she looked at her handbag and remembered her pistol that she had stowed in the bag. Akainu had made sure to get it set as only she would be able to open it with her blood. Thinking of the Admiral made her consider her words to the Flower-Flower user and she closed her eyes in the realization of what a hypocritical bitch she was being.

Robin had to school her features upon leaving the room that Andrea was trapped in but simply because her face was apathetic did not mean the turmoil on the inside eased in the slightest. _How does she know about Ohara?_ _She's not near strong enough to be a Marine high up enough to know the details and if she was a Marine, she'd know better than to mess with Crocodile._ Shivering involuntarily, she shook her inky tresses as she knocked softly on the door to Crocodile's room with a sultry smile on her face.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea had tried the door to find it was locked but upon looking outside, she had a killer idea. Although her window was high up, if her plan worked, the height would not be important. Looking down at her scarred palm, she was intensely relieved that Crocodile had not noticed anything peculiar with her hand but then stark reality sank in. _Not many things can negate Logia abilities so… oh fuck. He thinks I used Armament Haki. I can kinda use it but not very well according to Sakazuki so if Crocodile tries to force me to use it, who knows how it'd turn out._ Fear coursed through Andrea at a rapid pace as she tried to plot her next course of action. _So that's why he wants me to join him. I wonder exactly what Robin was inferring though. Join for what? I could join and try to find out what's going on but…_ Her eyes slid shut as her head started to ache. _Do I really want to be associated with her of all people? Fuck I still sound like a hypocrite. _

Before Andrea could process another thought, an impatient knock was heard and seconds later, the door opened to reveal the smirking mug belonging to Crocodile. "Ahhh Andy-chan, I'm hoping you'll be a bit nicer to me than you were to my… business partner." Andrea's eyes immediately narrowed at the man's smooth tone. "I apologize for being so forward earlier. I had no idea I was in the presence of such an intriguing woman like yourself."

Andrea scoffed and turned away from him in annoyance. "Lay it on any thicker and the room will be hotter than hell. Just let me go." Shaking his head, he simply moved closer as if to provoke her.

"You are interesting. Hit me if you dare. I have a hypothesis I want to confirm." Raising an eyebrow in what she hoped was confusion, she swatted him with her left hand just to have it be enveloped in sand. The odd, grainy texture and cool temperature felt wrong to her. Knowing it was but a mere part of the man in front of her only made the chilling feeling worse. "Pity. Must have been a fluke," he mumbled almost dismissively. When she tried to pull away from him however, he smirked and held onto her left arm painfully hard. She squealed in surprise and attempted to kick at him with her right leg but it was caught by sand. "A firecracker like you would be welcome in Baroque Works but you require… taming. As you're obviously hostile to Robin, maybe by my hand, you can be tamed."

Andrea's eyes widened at the implicated statement and she bit her lower lip in fear. Releasing her, the Shichibukai strode out of the room dramatically and locked her door. She rushed to the door and put her ear to the bottom in an attempt to hear his footsteps go away. Satisfied once they did, she glanced at the window then to the four poster bed. Ripping off the sheets, she tied the corners with some ribbon she found in the opulent dresser and smiled as her plan was about to be put into fruition.

Holding her right palm in front of the window, she saw the slight glint of the Seastone bars on the window shine as if attempting to mock her but she knew better. Focusing carefully, she shot out a strong beam of light but instead of it being thin and narrow, she focused on widening it like a reverse funnel with the narrow end being at her palm. The ray of light hit the window loudly and obliterated it, leaving a big enough gap for Andrea to escape. Loud shouts came from the hallway and ignoring her palm which started to bleed slightly around her now vibrant red scar or the nagging exhaustion that came with attempting to replicate a Devil Fruit, she dashed out of the room with her handbag over her shoulder. Clenching her makeshift parachute, she caught a desert breeze and drifted away. Glancing back, she saw Crocodile stare her down and change into sand to chase her. Tensing her body for the pain that would follow, she shot out magma from her hand to impact with the sand. The Shichibukai stopped trying to pursue her and observed her. He felt perplexed as she was not a Devil Fruit user but was curious nonetheless. Barking orders to Robin, he wanted this woman captured and captured quickly.


	19. Sweet Dreams and Harsh Reality

A relatively short chapter that will serve as a transition  
Please enjoy :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Sweet Dreams and Harsh Reality**

The merchant caravan passing through the desert out of Rainbase felt uneasy when they found a young, tall girl partially buried in a sand dune but finding out that she was merely asleep or passed out did not make the feeling any better. Her right palm she was cradling had intense bleeding as if it had been days since there was a wound. Wrapping the throbbing wound, the bandages did not help the blood stop and the people feared she would bleed out.

All she did though was mumble sleepily, giggle tiredly, and cuddle her bag that they found she was traveling with. Despite attempts to move her out of the wagon they used for their goods that they had stuck her in at first to recover, she just weakly shoved them away with a happy expression on her face. Sighing, the merchants had given up hope of her truly waking up but had no idea what to do with her without arousing the suspicions of any townspeople in the town they were heading towards. None of them were cold hearted enough to leave her in the desert they were currently traveling in as an 'act of mercy.'

* * *

-Inside Andrea's head-

* * *

Garp had been lecturing the twins and Luffy about an important lesson: love in the high seas. As a Vice-Admiral, people were shocked at his long life but he owed that to luck and skill. However, he feared his for his grandchildren and wanted them to live fulfilling lives like how he felt his was. Midway through his lecture, Luffy and Ace became bored and ran out while Andrea shook her head. "You know Gramps, I appreciate you fretting but without all of us here, the lesson feels lacking."

Laughing, he clapped her on the shoulder which caused her to go through the table she was sitting at. Picking her up apologetically and brushing the wood splinters off her shoulder, he grinned at her. "Out of all my beloved grandchildren, you'll need my lessons the most!"

Groaning, the girl facepalmed and motioned towards her brothers who started to wrestle outside their little hut. "But they're dumb enough to knock some poor girl up. I'd have the common sense to take precautions."

Giving her an odd look, he sighed. "Ace will likely be a heartbreaker for a while and I don't think Luffy would know where to put his dick." The two snickered for a while Garp chewed thoughtfully on some meat. "Andy-chan, if you find a guy you really like, go for it. I believe in your taste in men and common sense." Giving an odd look, she took a graceful bite out of the meat bun and chewed quietly. "Like Kuzan. Wouldn't he just be ideal?"

Rolling her eyes, she threw the food at Garp's head just for him to catch it in his mouth. "Just because I sent him a basket of pastries as thanks doesn't mean I'm confessing love. Besides, think of the age difference!"

Garp's laughter faded as the scenery warped around them. The small island they had docked at to train came into her vision. However, there was no battleship and no fellow Marines around. Andrea glanced at the ocean as a sensation of peace swept over her and she smiled softly. Big arms encircled her from behind as her favorite Admiral hugged her. "Wake up for me," he intoned.

Confused, she turned around just to see the Magma fruit user smile at her and kiss her softly on the forehead. His hand turned to magma as he shoved her backwards but instead of impacting with the sandy beach of the island, she fell into darkness with her arms flailing.

*SLAM!*

Groaning in pain as she rolled over the trading wagon, the brunette sat up in the sandy dune she had fallen into with confusion but the people around her looked at her in astonishment. "I thought she was dead!"

Andrea, still trying to shake off her sleepiness, glanced at the people around her. Reaching for her dagger at her side and touching the sheath, she relaxed visibly. Just knowing she was not unarmed was enough to put her at ease. Feeling the slight sting of her right palm brought her back to reality. Glancing at it, she saw the tight bandages wrapped around her hand and looked at the group of people around her. _They must have found me when I passed out mid air. I wonder where we are._ Placing herself into a weak bow to try to showcase that she was in pain and therefore not a threat, the brunette schooled her features into friendly openness. "Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry if I've been a burden."

The merchants looked at her with curiosity as they all had been certain she was either dead or comatose. No amount of noise or shaking had made her awaken so they were a bit anxious. One man stood up front, confident stance proclaiming himself the leader of the group. "We found you in a sand dune a while after we left Rainbase to travel to another town to sell our wares. You may travel with us to that town but after that, we simply cannot allow you to come any further."

Andrea gave a weak smile and nodded. Lifting herself out of the sand, she glanced in the wagon she fell out of to retrieve her hand bag. Bag in hand, she walks outside of the wagon along with the merchants to their destination. At first she ponders where they could be going but reasons, anything is better than Rainbase. A sheaf of paper catches her eyes however and upon giving it a proper glance, feels like Aokiji stuck his hand within her gut and froze her. Her smirking face is staring back at her and below is a price on her head. _I never took a picture though. How did they…?_ Looking at the merchant caravan, she notices the leader of the caravan is holding the poster also. Cursing under her breath, she knows what she has to do.


	20. On the Run

Yay for a new follower to the story :3  
A slightly fatter chapter than the prior and this one has a little more character development  
And I must say, Gold Roger is forever a badass

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 20: On the Run**

They were within sight of a town when Andrea gave the people of the merchant caravan the slip. While she could sympathize with the difficult times that the country's people were facing, she was not willing to give her life in order for them to claim a bounty. The hot desert made it difficult for her to traverse away from the wagon train to rest in the dunes surrounding the town at least until the merchants moved on. She did not have much in terms of supplies but possibly she could sneak into the town at nightfall. Returning to the brutally hot desert did not sound like a treat but she could not complain of her circumstances.

Botching up this mission made her extensively harsh on herself after all. The thought of returning to any of the Admirals a failure did not bode well on her and the only way to salvage the mission was to stay. Crocodile's behavior and the presence of Nico Robin did arouse her curiosity and would be certain that others higher up in the Marines would be intrigued.

An idea zoomed into her head and she reached for her Baby Den Den Mushi as she thought of the perfect person to call. Only a couple rings were necessary before a bored voice answered. "You interrupted my nap. What is it?"

Giggling, she sighed in relief. "Kuzan, are you close to Alabasta?"

The man grumbled on the other side of the line as he tried to wake up more. "You got some info?"

Scowling when she thought of her mission, she brushed some hair behind her ear. "A little so I'll have to ask you to divert Smoker from his crazy quest to pursue the Straw Hat crew to go here. We have quite an interesting predicament here. A criminal that escaped quite a few of the Admirals back in the old days." She could hear shuffling and knew he was preparing. "Add a rogue Shichibukai to the mix and I think I caught your attention eh?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin sat on the Going Merry rather happily as she surveyed the frantic murmurings of the crew below her. The princess Vivi was shocked when Luffy had smashed the Eternal Log Pose in his hand but remembering something that had caught into her mind, she pulled out a piece of paper and allowed it to drift to Luffy. "I am curious if you small time pirates would know her. She has caught the attention of our illustrious organization yet no one in the Grand Line appears to know of her."

Luffy's eyes got big in excitement before narrowing angrily. "Why do you have a wanted poster for my big sister! She's not a pirate at all." The other members of the crew looked at each other warily in relief of his ignorance. "She's a Marine like Gramps!" Nami groaned into her palm while Zoro started laughing.

Robin smirked as she mentally noted all the information that Luffy was shouting out while Usopp covered his mouth in horror of what Luffy unwittingly revealed. "Since you can't say more, I'll throw you a bone and tell you this: she's being hunted by Baroque Works in Alabasta also." In the blink of an eye, she jumped off the Going Merry and onto a turtle that had a seat on it. "Let's go Bunch!"

While Luffy and Usopp were busy marveling at the turtle, the rest of the crew as well as the princess were thinking about the fact that a Marine, Luffy's sister no less, was wanted by a Shichibukai.

* * *

-Nightfall-

* * *

Andrea looked up at the twinkling stars in the desert sky and faintly saw the caravan leave. Under the cover of darkness, she slinked along the dunes of sand into the nearby town. She was creeped out however when she heard relatively nothing in the streets and sand just blowing around. Walking deeper into the settlement, she saw an old man digging relentlessly. She moved over to him and touched his shoulder gently as to not startle him. He looked at her in surprise and when he saw her hand, his concern overrode his need to dig. "Miss, your hand is bleeding!"

Waving her hand in general disregard of the pain it felt, she smiled. "Sir it always bleeds. Why are you digging when it's so dark and where is everyone?"

The old man sat on the ground sadly and prepared to give the sorrowful tale to the kind miss that stumbled into the abandoned village.

* * *

-The Morning-

* * *

Andrea left the village after dawn and could see the old man still digging for water. She had no way to reassure or help the man and as much as she wanted to, had a mission to think of. Obtaining a good map of Alabasta had been easy when she checked around the abandoned village and found one in a house whose family was long gone. She should head towards the shore and after consulting the map again, took off for the coast. With luck, Smoker's forces would be in Alabasta by the time she had made it to Nanohana. Alubarna was a possible good area to check for more information after getting back up but as of now, she was at a severe disadvantage with Crocodile wanting her enough to put a bounty.

Slinging her hand bag over her shoulder, she checked her side for the dagger that meant a lot to her. Touching the handle of the dagger reassured her and she took off into the desert. The pulsing in her right palm was getting worse but she paid it no heed as she also ignored the desert heat in favor of focusing on her goal.

The news passed onto her by Admiral Aokiji was a bit concerning and worrisome but she had faith in her twin brother's ability to deal with challenges. After all, some wannabe pirate captain take on the Whitebeard pirates full on? Killing a crewmate is low but for one to stoop to that implies he was weak and she knows her twin brother is anything but weak. Then of course to dash her hopes, he tells her more news.

This bastard, Blackbeard, has supposedly obtained a Logia Devil Fruit. Before she could ask more questions, he of course, hangs up due to it being his nap time. Sighing at the predicament her twin had dug himself into, she hoped she would be able to see him soon.

The dream she had the prior night really did not help her worries.

* * *

-Flashback to last night's dream-

* * *

Andrea was floating in the air above a massive battlefield. Marines and pirates were everywhere and the landscape was torn up with ice and magma scattered in disarray. Her eyes were not on the underlings but rather, she spotted quickly various figures that caught her eye: the Admirals. Upon recognizing Akainu, she instantly gravitated towards him and felt depressed when she floated through him. Apparently she was not meant to interfere with this dream but what she saw made her wish she could. The Magma fruit user had attempted to attack her little brother, Luffy and her twin protected him with his life.

She gasped and was unable to hear anything around her as she only processed the death of her twin and near death of her other brother. Before she could wonder anything else, a thin figure in a black, oversized robe stood next to her. Floating in mid air, he seemed relatively unperturbed by the scene before them and even sighed as he glanced at her. "Oh this would be a busy day if this actually existed," the man wheezed as he waved his hand over the scene before him. His breath sounded so weak and she felt that the way he spoke was as if his voice personified plague and famine itself. "You see, this is how it would be like if you really did die in the womb."

Her blood felt cold as she witnessed another death on the scene: Whitebeard's. The man's words to her however, drew her gaze back to him. "Died? How would I have died?"

Laughing softly in a teeth chattering manner, the man reclined mid air as if sitting on a chair. "In your reality, you were born a skinny and malnourished looking child due to giving your strength to your brother while in the womb. You D. women really do think of others!" His hand reached from out under his long robe sleeve to ruffle her hair and to her horror, she saw his scrawny arm was very bony and even had the meat of muscle missing in several areas. Blood oozed rather thickly down into the battlefield but none of the fighters noticed it. "However in this reality, you gave your own life force as a child to both your mother and your twin so that they would survive."

Tears pricked the edges of the brunette's eyes as she saw her little brother injured. Clearing her eyes, she noticed for the first time where she was: Marineford. Sengoku stood out to her and she noticed her grandfather. What hurt the most was when she recognized a flash of red hair. _Shanks!_ He was protecting a shy, lavender color haired man from being hurt by Akainu. Words of peace was all the familiar man was murmuring. Her heart clenched painfully as she turned towards the mysterious man. "Fuck this reality. I have my own to live in."

Nodding in approval, she noticed the man's wide grin and she was hit by a flash of nostalgia. A nonexistent wind hit the duo when the man's hooded face became visible. The smirk flashed vividly in her mind as the man drew close and hugged her. The stench of death was on this man but what she felt the most was a sense of belonging. "I'm so proud of you my daughter." Releasing her, she fell into the battleground below and the soldiers as well as pirates parted around her. Rising from the dust of war around her, she stood tall and stared at the trio of Admirals before her. Before any further words could be spoken, she reached out with her hands to offer peace and the world went bright white around her.


	21. Bleeding Heart

Yay for a favorite and a follow :3

Enjoy this slightly background chapter!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Bleeding Heart**

Andrea always had a backup plan but her head hurt, her palm hurt and she felt dizzy. Whether it was due to the blood loss in her palm that had become more pronounced as of late due to the strenuous pace she traveled in the desert or the beating heat upon her brow, she suffered the consequences nonetheless. Glancing at the bandages around her palm, she noted the puffy swelling around the scar. While the scar itself was not bleeding, the area around it had become even more irritated and had oozed sticky blood onto the bandage the hand was wrapped in. The wound pulsed as if annoyed at the attention it was receiving and, unable to endure the excessive stimuli, Andrea fainted into the sand just as a storm was about to occur.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Sitting in the clinic in Marineford was an uncomfortable experience for a young Andrea. Going through the hell with Morgan a day prior made her feel uneasy but all the tests the Marine physician was putting her through was indeed borderline excessive. They had drawn some blood from her arm to do some tests but gave the youthful girl nothing to do while waiting. Pity the Marine base had no therapist because they would know that leaving such a young girl alone with her thoughts, especially when they were currently revolving around what had happened a day ago, was an incredibly stupid idea. All she could do was ponder that situation and if not for the Vice Admiral saving her, things could have gone incredibly horrific. The Fleet Admiral had visited her and brought her sweets but could not stay for long as he had this mess that Morgan caused to deal with. No one who was not busy knew her and the doctor, although sympathetic to her plight, had a job to do and priorities in hand. Examining the blood and physical condition of Andrea was more important to him than to make she was mentally alright.

The blood he examined however, was extremely curious. When drawing blood, the little pinprick he did with the needle did not want to heal or even clot. Thinking of the girl's small, thin frame made him wonder about the strength of her bone structure. He had seen her be rowdy, playfully fight with the recruits but she was not hurt yet alone wounded. _Was it possible?_ The physician pulled out a medical encyclopedia and went back to the young girl. Holding it in front of her, she surveyed it with excitement. "Andrea-kun, there's a chance something might be wrong with your body. Please go through the book and let me know if there's something you may have." _Two birds with one stone. She might find what her problem is and now she's distracted._

Nodding with a serious expression, the small brunette opened the book and began to read. She hardly noticed her grandfather come in the door yet alone the Fleet Admiral at his side. They motioned to the side and nodding, the doctor went to them. A preliminary report had been written as well as what he noticed but also what he speculated on. The granddaughter of a Marine hero should not suffer in such a way and the suffering of children was visibly painful to the man.

It took a few minutes for the young Andrea's eyes to catch on an entry that seemed interesting to her. Determined to ask the doctor and find out more, she grabbed the book and carefully walked. Ignoring her dizzy feeling within her skull, she followed the voices she heard until she saw her grandfather, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the doctor. What she heard made her pause in curiosity and wait before approaching. "Well her brother is pretty healthy. He is a narcoleptic like how she and I are. Runs in the family you see." Andrea noticed the odd look that Sengoku gave Garp but the bulky man continued as if it ever happened. "He's not as scrawny as her though or fragile. It's why I try not to push her hard."

Biting her lip in annoyance, Andrea clenched the book tightly. _So even before this, Gramps was intent on babying me? _A few low murmurs were beyond her range of hearing so she quietly crept close.

"Be as that may Vice Admiral, I am frankly shocked that she is alive. If my diagnosis about her condition is correct, don't expect a long life expectancy out of her. Obviously since they are not identical twins, there is no guarantee that her brother carries the same condition as her. I'd take her as far away from the Grand Line or any dangerous life for that matter. The slightest wound could have bad effects on her body."

Twin streams of tears ran quickly as Andrea bit her lip that she did not notice when she dropped the heavy medical tome. A life of no danger would put to rest her dreams of being a Fleet Admiral. Her legs were moving erratically and she began to wiggle her toes in a last ditch attempt to fend off the narcoleptic fit that was approaching her fast. Although she sometimes could not avoid falling asleep, when stressed or highly aware, she had thought of ways to hold it off. Her fists were clenched so tightly that she did not notice her nails digging into her palm until she felt the warm trails of blood dripping from them. Glancing at her hands, she felt them pulse painfully and looked towards the three men.

"Andrea!" Garp shouted as he ran towards her. Her eyes had rolled back when she was looking at her palms and the fainting spell of narcolepsy had taken effect over her. The doctor looked over her and a grim expression crossed his face when he glanced at his medical book to see what she had found. A page had a crinkle in it and a folded corner to serve as a reminder. Pulling out a bandage to wrap around her hands, he prepared to deliver the bad news.


	22. Giants in a Little Garden

This chapter will be primarily about what the Straw Hat crew is doing so you [the readers] can get a perspective of where in the timeline they are and to also highlight just how long Andrea has been in Alabasta to her displeasure. To me, it makes sense that a spy or informant would be in an area for a long time - just look at Vivi infiltrating Baroque Works and working as a single digit officer for two whole years before she essentially was ousted

I however was very pleased to see a favorite for this story literally minutes before I posted this chapter  
And I know I'm getting too happy when I mentally go over what I'm writing now and my mental thinking has an accent -.-

Enough rambling on my part! I hope my readers enjoy and remember:  
I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Giants in a Little Garden**

Baroque Works had fingers in many pies so to speak and the four members on Little Garden had quite the interesting situation. Being given their orders in addition to an unofficial wanted poster of a woman who was not a pirate had caught all four of their interests but what made it more amazing was an amendment to the poster by Miss All Sunday specifically stating that the woman in question was actually a Marine. Although of unknown rank, her capture had been made a high priority: especially for the higher officers. Being told that the Straw Hat captain had more information about the woman, being family, the opportunities just kept piling up. Two huge bounty giants and a big mission from Mr. 0 himself involving this mysterious woman could make the lives of the four members much easier and even redeem the failings of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. Making the rum explode was easy enough for Mr. 5 and all that was left to do was wait for Mr. 3 to get into position and begin his deceptive warfare. Meanwhile, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine's failed attempts to lure Vivi using Carue had frustrated them. Things were supposed to go well for everyone on this island and if done wrong, Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week would get all the credit for what would happen. Mr. 5 was stomping on Luffy but to his annoyance, Luffy had one comment in regards to his explosive power.

"You really suck," he grumbled as he stuck out his tongue. Scowling, the man kicked again as Miss Valentine sighed in boredom.

"Let's get this over with so we can hunt down that Andy. Odd name for a girl."

Squirming to Vivi's shock, he growled at the duo. "My sister has a beautiful name and you don't deserve to utter it!" Kicking the captain once again, Mr. 5 stalked off with Miss Valentine grabbing Vivi tightly and not allowing her to escape again.

It took a few moments for Luffy to compose himself and to rally Usopp and Carue. Standing weakly, Usopp looked over at his captain with respect in his eyes. "You really love your sister don't you?"

Luffy grinned the type of grin that his family unofficially specialized in. "She's a good sister and I really do love her. I'll protect her even if I'm a pirate and she's a Marine because that's what family does. Let's go beat them down." Carue nodded in support and agreement. Invigorated by Luffy's energy, the three of them charged.

Even though they dashed by the crew and Baroque Works members at first, they regained their momentum. Mr. 3 scoffed seeing Luffy because he expected more of a man that had the reputation of being worth the most in the East Blue. "Seems like the quality of the Marines is lessening if you are worth the most."

Luffy snorted in anger. "No if anything it went up since my sister is a Marine!" His tirade was cut short when he noticed something and he forgot to apply the filter that his dear sister Andrea had warned him about quite often. "Look at his hairstyle. That looks really stupid."

Although inwardedly amused, the predicament of being turned into a wax statue caused Nami to panic. Zoro however, maintained his cool composure despite attempting to hack himself out of the wax. After informing Luffy to destroy the wax tower that was turning them slowly into statues, he calmly posed as if preparing for the worst.

Miss Golden Week started laughing seeing the general calamity of the Straw Hat's captain and first mate. However, her attitude and the disrespect from the pirates only fed Mr. 3's ire. The hostility only became worse with Mr. 5's excuses that he already killed Straw Hat Luffy. Grinning, Luffy was definitely prepared for this fight.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sanji had dragged a lizard to the ship, determined to win the little mini-contest he had between him and Zoro. Curious as to why there was no one on the Going Merry, he departed. Walking around, he noticed a house that, strangely enough, appeared to be made of wax. He was tempted by the tea set and after indulging in a couple of cups, noticed a piece of paper next to a Den Den Mushi. The smirking mug of Luffy's sister was staring at the camera that took the picture. "This is the poster that lovely Miss All Sunday had." Wincing at the first memory he made with Andrea, he was determined to not make an ass of himself and to act as a proper gentleman for next time.

His line of thought was interrupted however by the ringing of the Den Den Mushi.

* * *

-A minute later-

* * *

Robin smirked in amusement at Crocodile's rather violent knee-jerk reaction to 'Mr. 3's report.' His prior admission of not wanting the Marines to intercept any calls looked very suspicious for a Shichibukai to admit and although she walked off to carry the orders given to her, she could not help but wonder if that Marine Andy would bring a battle to Crocodile's doorstep.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Smoker was vastly intrigued about the call that they had intercepted. To his chagrin however, it had matched or at least held some similarities with information that brat Andrea had passed along to Aokijij who 'deemed him worthy of knowing', as the Admiral put it. "A secret organization in the country of Alabasta that happened to have a missing princess and this odd man we captured only confirms the need to investigate." _And the Straw Hats being mentioned in that intercepted message is the frosting on the cake._

Glancing back towards the ship's regular Den Den Mushi, Tashigi moved her foot around on the ground. "Well we technically were already ordered to move towards Alabasta per Admiral Aokiji's orders. An Eternal Log Pose should already be en route."

Nodding towards his subordinate in dismissal, Smoker glanced towards the flunky they had caught and pondered on what Andrea was doing in Alabasta. Knowing she was gathering information made him trust the intercepted call more but he could not help but be concerned for her well being.

After all, after she had been examined when brought to Rogue Town comatose, the base's doctor was horrified at what he had discovered and to the smoke fruit user's annoyance, the doctor was sworn to secrecy to not reveal what had occurred. Having no medical training himself, he was unable to deduce anything from simply training the brunette but he did notice things such as how she stared at her scarred palm often, that the palm almost seemed to throb, and that she seemed very unfocused despite her intelligence.

One thing he knew for certain was that she was not normal in the slightest regard.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea did not have to open her eyes to realize she was buried in sand. Cursing her narcolepsy, she dug upwards and out of the sand dune that formed over her while she was passed out. Irritated at the dull landscape, she continued on through the desert.


	23. Can't Avoid Doctors

Forgot how long it took them to get to Alabasta for a bit :p  
Anyways! Lemme know what you like or dislike :)

Lastly, I realized this pushes me above 40k words :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Can't Avoid Doctors**

Luffy was panicking quite a bit over Nami's sudden sickness and that only escalated when Sanji informed him that meat 'might' make her feel better but would not cure her. Realizing the only person with medical knowledge was the sick one only solidified Luffy's next decision. As he or his crewmates had never been faced with sickness, they had no idea how to react or even how to properly care for the navigator. Vivi stating that the unknown illness increased her body's temperature and that it could be fatal only caused pandemonium to reign. Luffy however, had known how to deal with strong, stubborn women like Vivi and Nami so that made his next decision easy. Reaching for the Baby Den Den Mushi, he dialed a number that had become familiar to him and his crewmates.

Hearing the dial tone, he glanced around his crew. They were glad to have avoided the water cyclone but that only made the prospect of losing Nami even more painful. "Hello?" The calm female voice answered but Luffy could read his sister well and knew something was wrong.

"Hi sis! Well Nami's sick and since you get sick sometimes, I wanted to know if you knew what she had." At that moment, Sanji and Usopp had been passing by and being chivalrous, Sanji just had to speak out.

"So rude to your sister! Andrea-chaaaaaaaaan!" Zoro and Vivi had been walking by and visibly winced at Sanji's enthusiasm.

"Psh, she's used to me talking like that to her." Luffy muttered towards his crew. Glancing back at the snail in his hand, he smiled softly. "Sis, Nami's been really sweaty and too hot! But she thinks she just has sunstroke. Any idea what it could be?"

"Hmmm," Andrew took a drink of water on the other side of the line. The Straw hat crew eagerly awaited her next words. "Well judging by your cluelessness, you are in the Grand Line yes?"

Luffy nodded and Zoro rolled his eyes as he took the Den Den Mushi away despite Luffy's protests. "We've been here for a bit and have been on two islands." Luffy stretched with his powers to push Zoro away.

"You might be close to an island that has some competent medical staff then. I'm assuming you have a Log Post so stray a bit from it and hopefully you should run into an island soon. Pay attention to the weather." Luffy noticed his sister's voice wavering slightly and a concerned look came over him.

"Sis, are you ok? If you get dizzy, just lay down!" She giggled softly and the crew heard a bunch of wind in the background.

"I can't lie in the sand again. Falling asleep during a storm was rather unpleasant." Vivi's eyes widened and she pushed Luffy away to speak to the woman.

"Do you know about the troop movements on Alabasta?" The Marine became quiet and her voice came out very coldly and harsh.

"Who are you and why are you asking that?" she demanded and Luffy gave Vivi as well as indirectly his sister a weird look.

"Sis, she's the princess of Alabasta. We're taking her back but we gotta make sure that Nami is feeling better otherwise we'll be in trouble on the seas."

"So… you found the conveniently missing princess in the midst of a revolution? Curious Luffy-kun." The crew glanced at the Baby Den Den Mushi in surprise but Andrea interrupted their thoughts. "I'll keep an eye on the situation here but focus on getting Nami better or you'll all die before you even get here." She hung up the snail without saying goodbye and contemplated her next move.

Meanwhile however, Luffy started giving orders for them to look around for an island while Sanji and Vivi would watch over Nami.

* * *

-Alabasta-

* * *

Andrea came across a body of water, thin like a river, dividing her from her destination. _This is the strait I crossed before to get to Rainbase._ She remembered roughly where she was but she was nowhere near a ferry that could take her across and with the unofficial bounty on her head, there was a chance she would run into a Baroque Works agent. Looking at the vividly blue water, she was trying to think of how exactly to cross.

Placing her right hand through the water, the coolness of the water chilled her hand and made her relax. She was glad that at least something was relatively unaffected by the heat but after a minute, the saltiness of the strait started to sting at the scar on her wound.

Remembering that her hand would always stick up in water, she smirked as an idea formed in her head but she was slightly worried due to her lack of confidence in her ability to swim. Channeling the bravery of her brothers, she ran to the shore and took a long jump.

* * *

-A few days later-

* * *

The Straw Hat's less than perfect reception had not dampened their determination that they get Nami cured of whatever disease she had obtained. Even Vivi being shot at had not hampered her hopes of getting her friend saved. Once the townspeople had calmed down and stopped shooting at the crew, they disembarked in the hopes

Finding out there was only one doctor on the island was on a high, flat topped mountain, Luffy had taken off with Sanji to bring Nami there while Vivi and Usopp stayed behind. The militia captain, Dalton, began to regale them with the tale of how the island used to be like when Usopp, being the perceptive person he was, caught onto a name that was mentioned. "Our country had been destroyed by pirates led by one called Blackbeard and that atrocious king, Wapol, did not even try to defend us." From there, Usopp began to mentally note everything down as he felt what he was hearing was exceptionally important. For some reason however, he felt very compelled by a strong gut feeling to contact Luffy's sister. Vivi's outrage at Wapol's cowardice at abandoning his kingdom upon seeing the power difference between his forces and Blackbeard's crew was reaching a peak.

The long-nosed coward was about to ask to use a Den Den Mushi when a messenger came, declaring the doctor had come down from the castle to a nearby village.


	24. Dry Humor

Wheeeeeee! Please enjoy this chapter :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Dry Humor**

Andrea hated when her narcolepsy hit her but at least this time, it was not overly inconvenient. She leapt into the water and relied on the fact that her palm, specifically her right palm, would bob on the water and make herself float across. She had miscalculated a crucial fact: there was a current and the current was certainly not going from land to land. Cursing as she was carried out to sea, she was groaning at her mistake. Blaming her injuries for the lapse in judgment, to her luck, a rather large crab was crossing and she had barely grabbed the shell of the crab and was flung out of the water by the momentum. Thankfully, she had finally crossed but was exhausted by her efforts to pathetically swim or rather doggy paddle against a powerful current. Extending out a blanket, the very one she had used to parachute herself out of the casino in Rainbase, she laid to rest and was greeted shortly by quite the odd dream.

* * *

-Dream-

* * *

Andrea had appeared in her dream similar to how she had in her Marineford dream: ghost like and unable to interact with anyone or anything. Like that dream, the hooded figure was back and just the presence of her father calmed her as they were floating above a snowy island. She shivered despite the fact that she could not feel the cold air yet her dad laughed in amusement as her hair was tossed by the wind. "My little Andrea so worried for her brother."

Eyes widening, she tried towards her dream father in shock. "Luffy here? Ace said he was around Alabasta." He nodded and pointed downwards. Immediately, they both were zoomed down to almost the ground towards quite the unusual scene. "Ah don't they look delicious?"

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, she looked to see rather giant rabbits attempting to attack two people, one of which had another person on their back. Although difficulty with the swirling snow, she was able to make out an unruly mop of black hair. "Luffy-kun!" Instinctively, she angled her body towards them and attempted to swipe at the giant rabbits but simply went through them. _Of course… just a dream._ She instead watched the chef, Sanji, attempt to kick at the giant rabbit with difficulty due to the moist, squishy snow which served to hinder his fighting style.

"Always wanting to protect your family, even when you know you can't." Her father put a strong hand onto her shoulder and gripped tightly. She did not attempt to shake him off or confirm the statement. Instead, she was shaking in concern as she watched an avalanche cover her brother and his crewmates. "It's not a bad thing. In fact, it might keep you sane while you are in the Marines."

Before she could ask what he meant, Roger ruffled her hair as everything turned stark white to her then to an ugly, sandy brown.

Opening her eyes, she groaned as yet another sandstorm was starting up. Determined not to end up under another sand dune, she looked for someplace to wait out the storm.

* * *

-Later that day-

* * *

Nami was relieved to see that Luffy and Sanji were running around with little regard as to how injured they were previously. The cute, blue-nosed reindeer that was taking care of her made her curious due to his adverse reaction to her questioning him about if he would like to join. She was reminded of herself when Luffy had practically demanded that she join despite her dislike of piracy.

The old doctor Kureha walked in on Nami's thoughts and smirked as she began to tease the orange haired navigator. Finding out about Chopper's lonely, miserable past only made her draw more parallels between her own life and the poor reindeer's. Looking back at Sanji and Luffy, Nami sighed apologetically at the old or rather, in her eyes, young doctor. "I apologize for my captain's behavior. I'm certain his sister raised him better. I've heard she's quite a hard ass with him."

Smiling, the doctor reclined on the bed while checking on Nami. "That poor soul. I'm assuming you don't know her personally."

The navigator shook her head. "No ma'am. Just heard her on the Den Den Mushi. You can tell she loves her brother though. I'm shocked she's a Marine with him being a pirate."

Nodding in understanding, the doctor grinned as she prepared to give Nami her diagnosis.

* * *

-Alabasta-

* * *

Emerging from a tiny cliff side cave she found to take shelter in during the desert storm, Andrea began her expedition anew. She had been grumbling softly to herself when the heated whispers of two armed men caught her ear. Not even bothering to conceal herself, she approached the sounds to see the two men, one tall and the other short, squabbling over what she assumed was a map of Alabasta. They shut up when they noticed her walk towards them. The taller one whispered to his friend, "She looks really beat up. You think she's an enemy?"

The shorter one shook his head and headed towards the woman in concern. Andrea smiled softly and allowed herself to dramatically faint in his arms. She let her bandages on her right hand be seen and as expected, the two men were going frantic about how to take care of her. So caught up in what to do, they did not catch the smirk from the brunette. _Hopefully they will take me somewhere useful and seeing as they do not look like royal troops, this should be interesting. Reminds me of what Vivi was asking or rather demanding of me._

* * *

-Meanwhile in Drum Kingdom-

* * *

Wapol did not appreciate the reception he got at his former castle but no one really cared about Wapol other than his two flunkies. Luffy had been brought by his rather stubborn, mulish family to not take disrespect lightly and especially after Sabo's death, he had learned how much disrespecting the dead hurt the ones close to them.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

It was only a couple weeks after Sabo's death yet Ace and Luffy still felt the pain that his non-existence caused. While she was not as close with Sabo as her other brothers, Andrea still considered him family and treated him as such. The three of them were visiting Sabo's grave to clean it up and prevent anyone from taking the body although they were certain it would not happen again.

The first day they had buried Sabo, his family had tried to claim the body by saying the son of nobles deserved more. However, Andrea had a clever yet cruel plan to keep the body in its grave. "So you're proud of a son who runs with ruffians, scorns his noble upbringing and who wanted to join the revolutionaries? Quite innovative of you nobles." Her words had earned a slap from Sabo's father while his mother had considered the youth's words and as such, deemed it absolute social suicide to acknowledge the fact they had a son.

The ingenuity of such a plan did not lack its share of drawbacks however. Luffy's protests were dwarfed by Ace's sheer rage at the callous approach that his twin had taken. While pleased Sabo's remains would remain undisturbed, his rage hit the boiling point when the nobles were out of earshot. Pushing his twin to the ground, he glared at her with such rage. "Andrea, why are you acting like a heartless bitch?"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself off the ground and motioned towards Sabo's grave marker. "Oh so that you two could try to beat up his birth parents? I'm certain that would definitely convince them to leave his body alone. You can't solve everything with violence and threats Ace. Dammit, what else could we have done? They are nobles and we are not. In their eyes, we are scum as you very well know _Portgas_ D. Ace," she scowled putting particular emphasis on his last name. "Bitch or not, you know it's important that Sabo stay not just for us but so he gets respect." Luffy nodded enthusiastically and smiled at his older sister who ruffled his hair. Ace sighed in defeat and slung an arm around his sister in his manly attempt to apologize.

The male twin pinched Luffy's cheek to his annoyance and smirked. "Make sure to always respect the dead Luffy. Protecting their memories for those who value them is very important."

* * *

-End Flashback-

* * *

Luffy pulled back his slender arms, ready to whoop Wapol and to show Chopper exactly how proper pirates respect others. Even the dead.


	25. Unpleasantries

Always pleased to see another favorite & follow :D

This chapter has a bit of romance and fluff so enjoy

Just remember: I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Unpleasantries **

Being taken back to the small branch of the rebel army of Alabasta was an interesting experience but seeing and hearing nothing of value made Andrea unnerved. If these people were fighting the government, surely they would have good reason or at least a motivating factor but it was dead silent within the camp. Andrea headed for the very broody man who she assumed was the leader.

* * *

-Drum Kingdom-

* * *

Dalton was staring down the wanted poster given to him and listened to the story of Luffy's brother wanting to meet him. While relieved that the message did not require being delivered due to the crew heading for Alabasta anyway, Dalton felt something was odd and missing.

Heading into Wapol's former castle, he watched the hustle and bustle when another wanted poster drifted down to him but this one was not one issued by the World Government or the Marines.

* * *

-On the Going Merry-

* * *

The party was going strong and Usopp still was plagued by the intense urge to inform Luffy's older sister about the recent events. Yet being the coward he was, tried to subtly persuade Luffy to call her only to be told, "Wait til morning. She hates being drunk dialed."

Raising a fuzzy eyebrow at the confusion, Chopper asked about Luffy's sister and received a wide grin in return. He began to regale the crew with how she always watched out for him and his brothers but his favorite thing about her was her talent with cooking. Sighing at the predictability of her captain, Nami walked into her cabin for a minute and reached for a letter that was waiting in Drum Kingdom with her name on it. When it was handed to her by Dalton, she was surprised but he was surprisingly quiet about it and only mentioned that it was given to him by a cool demeanored man and he was trusted to ensure its safe receipt.

Glancing through the letter which acknowledged the information received and counting carefully the Beri included within, she pocketed the change and returned to the party where Usopp was about to make a toast to their new doctor.

* * *

-The Next Day-

* * *

Crocodile listened carefully to Robin's report of the incident in Drum Kingdom with a contemplative look on his face. Losing that Andy woman had proved to be a thorn in his side but the fact that her younger brother was going to practically walk into his grasp, he could easily use the excuse of him being a Shichibukai to execute his plans in their entirety. Robin shook her raven locks with amusement at her partner's plans and could not help but throw a monkey wrench into his plans. "We're missing a few lower ranked agents. It's possible that Andy-san may have taken some out."

Scowling at the svelte woman, he turned away and looked outside. That Marine just needed to slip up at the opportune moment and then she would be his prize.

And Crocodile was used to getting what he wants.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea plopped on the sandy ground in annoyance. The leader, who she found out was named Kohza, was a short tempered man who did not approve of her blatant attempts to get close to him. Fed up with the man, she decided this would require desperate measures. She disliked what she would have to do but she had a mission and out of these rebellious warriors, he was the one who most likely possessed information she needed.

Dressed in a pair of capri pants that hugged her legs tightly and a low cut tank top, she approached him with a seductive smirk. Hearing wolf whistles, she tilted her head towards him and motioned towards a tent. To her annoyance, Kohza sighed but he walked with her to the tent. Stomach clenching in discomfort, she clinged onto his arm tightly and giggled softly. When they were out of sight of the troops however, Kohza pushed her off him and she landed none-too-softly onto his bed roll. Surprised at his attitude, she could not help but snap, "What the fuck?"

Raising a thin eyebrow, he sat across from her but had put a distance between them. "Your body and words may be flirty but I just had to look in your eyes to know you were hating every minute of flirting with me so I must wonder why you would do such a thing. It's obvious from your body language that you care about someone."

Tears gathered in the brunette's eyes but she refused to shed them. _Damn I screwed up hard. But he's right… I tried to think of Sakazuki but now I just feel, _"Guilty," she mumbled softly as she looked into the man's eyes. "I really care about him a lot but this felt like the only way."

Interest passed the man's face in curiosity. "Only way for what?"

A surge of strength passed over her eyes as she stared down the man strongly. "I must find out what's going on in this country."

Scoffing at her, he crossed his arms. "Our king did several unforgiveable things."

Raising a thin eyebrow, she smirked remembering something. "You know it might not have been him." Kohza's face hardened at the implication. "There is a Devil Fruit that allows one to imitate another person. I know from experience," she dug through her bag really quick before pulling out her poster and pointing specifically to her face. "I do NOT smirk like this."

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Andrea had pretended to be completely unconscious when Crocodile took her rather roughly to her room to be contained. She had a difficult time in calming her heart rate to simulate unconsciousness but she must have done fine but a rather flamboyant voice and overenthusiastic touching of her face almost made her wince or retaliate.

"Good Mr. 2. Your powers will be useful with the more faces you acquire." Andrea scrunched her brow in confusion at the words as the two men left her room.

* * *

-End Flashback-

* * *

Kohza glanced at the paper and back at her. "So… I could take you in and claim a reward that could be put towards the troops."

Eyes widening, Andrea's heart dropped at her stupidity. Unwrapping her right palm's bandage, she was pleased that it had healed at least a little bit because she knew she would definitely need to use it now. Placing her hand on the ground, a rush of sand surrounded her and while Kohza was trying to protect his eyes, she dashed out of the tent and out of the camp before anyone would think to chase her. After all, they had seen her attempt to seduce their leader and would only assume he had gotten too fresh with her.

After putting quite the distance between her and the camp, Andrea rested near a small oasis. Guilt about what transpired earlier still clenched her tightly and she felt compelled to reach out to someone but she knew only one person could help her. Making up her mind, she dialed her favorite Admiral and was pleased to hear his gruff, sleepy greeting. "It's rather late. I hope this is important."

"Hey Sakazuki-kun. It's been a while," she spoke softly into the Baby Den Den Mushi. Hearing him move around in the background made her smile as she heard a chair scrape the floor. "I miss you."

The tough man's eyes widened in surprise at her statement. _Did she really just call me to tell me that?_ "I miss you too. I hope your mission is doing well." He did not realize it but he had a rather soft smile on his face and his voice reflected it as Andrea felt his smile.

"A couple complications but," Andrea hesitated for a minute as she was fearful of what his reaction could be. "I dislike the idea of flirting with anyone but you!"

Laughing loudly and the seeming randomness of the statement, he knew what she was talking about. Being a Marine and to some extent, an agent of the World Government, meant that at times, you had to resort to unpleasant methods. "I understand my Andrea-chan." She grinned widely and even giggled at his proclamation. "The idea of men being near you boils my blood but we have a duty. Therefore the sooner you finish, the sooner you are back with me where you belong. I await you and I know you'll make me and your family proud."

Heartened at his statements, she glanced at her palm almost expecting it to be bleeding heavily but was surprised to see only a couple small trickles of blood. "I'm sorry I bugged you during my mission but I had to hear you again. Thanks for listening to me fret Sakazuki-kun."

"Just sleep well," he mumbled as he was unsure of how to end the call. It had been too long since he had last been in the dating scene. Then he froze as thoughts bombarded him. _We are dating right? Close enough I suppose… Am I her only boyfriend…? Wait is that an appropriate way to think of us? We can't be lovers since we haven't slept together in that way yet. _The stream of thoughts ceased as he heard her kiss the receiver and hang up. Hanging up his own Den Den Mushi, he smiled as a new thought took root in his mind. _Her being mine is enough for me._


	26. Derps Together

Well, a thankfully slightly longer chapter I hope you all enjoy!  
Starting to get to the good stuff in the Alabasta arc in terms of what will be Andrea's interaction with the story

Enjoy and let me know what you like! I enjoy reviews, favorites and follows!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Derps Together**

The Straw Hat crew watched as the eccentric Mr. 2 flounced off their ship onto his with the realization that they did not recognize one of the more powerful members of Baroque Works. Zoro's cunning however would prove to come up with a useful counter to Mr.2's powers so that they could never be successfully impersonated.

Tying the bandages on their left arm as a proof of friendship and as protection, they docked near Nanohana where unbeknownst to them, pirates had been driven out a few days prior thanks to Crocodile.

* * *

-In Nanohana-

* * *

Smoker was walking around in annoyance at the dry climate of Alabasta when one of his troops declared that they were certain two people died nearby. The Marine however shrugged off the news at first but decided to investigate.

While the crowd gathered around Ace had been certain he was dead, he surfaced from his food and commented happily that he only fell asleep. Everyone else noticed that the other person who was 'dead' in the bar was still dead but she was in the corner. They did not notice her however as the man briefly passed out again. Smoker walked into the bar, at first disappointed that there really was no death but was happy at one revelation. "What could bring one of Whitebeard's important commanders to this country, Portgas D. Ace?"

Everyone in the bar panicked and it heightened slightly as the 'dead' woman groaned in the corner of the bar as they realized she was now not really dead but merely passed out like the man at the counter. Smirking, the cocky pirate glanced at the uptight Marine. "Searching for my family; particularly my little brother."

Smoker's face hardened as he glanced at the pirate. "Now sit tight and let me arrest you."

Sneering back at his face, the pirate only further reclined on his chair. "No can do."

Things were starting to escalate even further when Luffy decided to rocket literally into the bar and slammed into Smoker who had not even detected him and who had collided into Ace. Both were sent through the wall and walls behind that wall. Turning to the chef, Luffy happily called for food and was happy to see that the bar served good meat. Walking through the holes in the wall caused by Luffy slamming Smoker into him, Ace had begun to apologize to any people whose activities were disrupted. Seeing his brother chowing down brought a wide smile to the flame fruit user's face however. "Hey Lu-"

He was pushed away by Smoker who had realized that Straw Hat Luffy was in the bar with him. Luffy, having been practically starved recently and had resorted to eating the bait they had meant to be catching food with, paid no heed to the Marine and persisted in shoveling food into his gullet. Smoker smirked at the hungry pirate, "So you're here too." Luffy declined to say anything and instead, kept eating while staring blankly. Irate at being ignored to such an extent, the Devil Fruit user shouted, "Stop eating already!"

Surfacing from her narcoleptic spell like her brother did rather dramatically from her food, Andrea screamed, "Oh please sir, I'm not done eating yet." The bar went extremely quiet as Smoker took in the new, familiar voice and glanced over.

Although not in Marine fatigues and now with a slight tan, there was no mistaking it. "Andrea-san. I see your sleeping problems still plague you." Like her brother however, she ignored her fellow Marine and ran to her younger brother to hug him. The two began to eat together and tried to start small talk while Smoker's temper was starting to reach a boiling point. "Andrea-san, what do you think you're doing?"

Stopping with a fork halfway to her mouth, the brunette looked at the irate man before her and sensing his sister's distress, Luffy finally realized who was before them. "Oh Smokey!" He spat out food at him while he ran but remembering his older sibling, flung an arm towards Andrea and began to drag her behind his now inflated stomach.

Andrea winced with pain at how urgently Luffy had grabbed her and saw Smoker's confusion as he called for Tashigi. One voice rang out in particular to her however. "Waiiiiiiiiiiit. Luffy! Andrea! It's me!"

The poor owner of the bar looked at the destruction around him and the massive amount of food that had been consumed by the pirates and girl who dined and dashed. Sighing, he grabbed a broom listlessly. "I should have opened a restaurant in East Blue."

Smoker pursued the family closely and even yelled at Tashigi to try to stop Straw Hat Luffy. She drew her sword and prepared to slash but seeing Andrea being dragged along rather hastily made her hesitate and that second's hesitation allowed Luffy to scale a building to get away from more Marines. Andrea's shoulder collided rather painfully with the building's wall and the pain shot up her arm even more than the strain put on it from Luffy's grip. She knew it was impossible to stop Luffy now especially with how protective he would be with her.

The now camouflaged Straw Hat crew had been leery when they heard the commotion but realizing that Luffy was at the heart of it and dragging a woman behind him, Zoro's sharp eyes spotted a familiar shape. "Isn't that Luffy and his sister?"

However to the crew's displeasure, Luffy's eyes also spotted them back. "Hey Zoro!" He dodged another attack from Smoker and started to realize that his evasive maneuvers were having a negative effect on his older sister. She had a few scrapes now and he remembered how Sanji had scolded him in Drum Kingdom for how he was carrying Nami.

He did not have to worry any further however when a figure stood in front of him, hand ablaze. "You may be smoke but I'm fire. Your powers don't stand a chance against mine." Luffy's eyes widened as he recognized his brother and Andrea coughed a weak laugh at seeing her twin. "You haven't changed a bit Luffy but why is our sister so beat up? Hey Andrea!"

His twin gave a weak wave as she pushed herself off the ground. The Straw Hats compared the twins to Luffy and Nami's eyes widened. "They have a very strong resemblance to each other!"

Nodding, Sanji blew out some smoke and lazily eyed them. "They even feel strong. Granted, Andrea-chan feels more delicate but nonetheless strong." The first mate rolled his eyes in irritation at the cook eyeing yet another woman as they began to gather up the supplies they had obtained to head towards their ship. Ace had told them he would meet them up later and when he tried to dismiss his sister also, she pushed away his offer and stood firmly with her brother against the Marines.

Together the twins stood and Ace looked up at his sister. "Damn you're tall sis." She laughed and the two of them assumed a fighting stance together. "Been a while since we fought together."

* * *

-On the Going Merry-

* * *

Luffy began to talk about his brother that he often had forgotten to elaborate on and had scarcely mentioned. The crew was shocked to hear how Ace was always able to defeat Luffy even though the older brother did not eat a Devil Fruit himself at the time. Luffy smirked and proclaimed, "But I can beat him now."

"Who can you beat?" As if on cue, the flame fruit user jumped onto the ship's railing while seconds later, his twin sister followed, hoisting herself up onto the railing. Luffy happily hugged his older sister properly while Ace inspected his little brother proudly. Smirking, he looked at the little crew and his twin. "So… ya'll want to join Whitebeard? The whole crew can come and you know you'd be welcome Andrea."

Luffy declined immediately while Andrea shook her head and shivered in anticipation of the explosion from her twin. "I'm a Marine, Ace. It'd be rather odd if I joined a pirate crew."

Her twin nodded thoughtfully and calmly however. "I had an odd feeling after a weird dream you are one. Hmmm. Oh well, just thought I'd ask."

Usopp asked about if Ace really was in Whitebeard's crew as he saw the tattoo on his back and frankly, was quite scared. When affirming that he was, Andrea smiled and gave her twin a one-armed hug. "I'm glad my brother is so important and doing so well. You also handled those Marines well and pretending to kidnap me to boot! So clever… bravo." She clapped in amusement and pride.

* * *

-Back in Nanohana-

* * *

Smoker was beyond annoyed at the whole situation. He knew that Andrea was on a mission but did she really have to blatantly ally herself with those despicable pirates or allow herself to be 'kidnapped' in such a dramatic manner. The twins' looks were near identical and it was very shocking when they were together how they could exhibit synchronization in movement despite her height and his combat experience.

What was unexpected however was Ace suddenly pushing his sister aside to cause flames to block the way and then to tie her up and drag her away like a prisoner. One thing he remembered however troubled him and he turned towards Tashigi. "What do you think? There was a 'Vivi' among that crew."

"Vivi…" Tashigi looked around the town when the thought struck her fast. "Princess Nefertari Vivi? Why would she be with them? Or for that fact, Andrea-san? I saw her being dragged by Straw Hat Luffy."

Smoker sat down and contemplated the situation. "I'm also thinking there is more to this. In this country, is a man I despise. I intensely dislike the Shichibukai after all. Andrea being here on a mission also makes me think more of this situation around us."

The swordswoman was confused as she thought on her superior's words. "But Crocodile, being a Shichibukai, is an ally of the World Government and the Marines. There's also a chance Andrea-san's presence here is mere coincidence."

Smoker shook his head in denial. "He was once a clever pirate and not the type to take orders; especially from the government." He looked at the slender woman and softened his gaze as he murmured his next words. "Tashigi, remember this: no matter how far a pirate goes, they still are pirates."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace tossed Luffy a small piece of paper. Andrea's eyes widened when she recognized what it was as she had three of them herself to represent her three superiors. Her twin handed her a piece of the Vivre Card and she immediately dug in her handbag to retrieve her dagger to put the card in a compartment she had built into the sheath. Ace saw the dagger and smiled widely as he touched the blade's twin, his own dagger, in contentment.

Luffy's confusion at what he received however did not surprise the flame fruit user and despite his minor explanation, the Straw Hat captain still seemed confused but Ace simply sighed. "Having a dumb little brother makes your older brother and sister worry." Glancing at the crew, he smiled happily. "He probably gives you guys lots of trouble too so please take care of him for me."

Ace was about to descend back to his little boat when his twin grabbed him and slung him onto the deck of the Going Merry. "You are not leaving like that. I still have something really important to discuss with you."

Raising an eyebrow at his twin, he was unsure of whether or not to acknowledge her worries. Nodding, he looked at the rest of the crew and they motioned towards the cabin where the twins could discuss privately. Luffy, confused but nonetheless optimistic, happily pushed his siblings into the cabin and began to horse around with his crew.

Ace reclined on a wooden chair while his sister took a seat in front of him with worry ingrained firmly on her face. Her body was tense and despite her relatively cheery demeanor, he knew something was up. "Sis, it's not like you to act this way."

Looking at her twin with concern, she pulled out a holster and held it out to him. His eyes widened as he pulled out the gun and inspected the bullets. Even when not in contact, he could feel the power of the bullets. "Blackbeard knows you're after him. He's awaiting you and reports from a reliable source suggest," her twin raised an eyebrow at this statement, "he has a Devil Fruit. I want you, when you fight him because I know this is entirely unavoidable for you, to shoot him first with this before starting your fight. I am uncertain which fruit was obtained and most likely eaten and I won't let my twin risk himself unnecessarily! He might try to capture you as there's a chance he knows who our father is."

Her conviction touched Ace as the twin had an uncomfortable relationship before he left due to her twin's brashness and brutally honest bluntness. He was pleased that she cared so much to give him the gun and he hugged her tightly. She was risking a lot, being a Marine, by even being seen with him. "I will be careful I promise."

She smiled widely and they left the cabin, arm in arm. He jumped down to his little ship while Luffy asked if he was really going to which the twin affirmed he was and explained about how his former subordinate killed a fellow crewmate. Meanwhile the Straw Hat crew was over the moon about Ace's personality and Andrea's touching concern over her family.

Smirking back at the happy crew and his family, he powered up his Striker and left into the distance but did not get too far until some Baroque Works' boats operated by minor thugs attempted to apprehend him, hoping to earn a promotion, but with a little help from his Devil Fruit, he took care of them with ease.

Andrea finally turned from her brother on the horizon and looked around to the Straw Hat crew. "So… are ya'll letting me go?"


	27. Check-up with Chopper

Please enjoy and I appreciate feedback

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Check-up with Chopper**

Luffy's wide grin slightly unnerved his crew but also his older sister. "Nope!" He then glomped his older sister and pointed randomly off the boat towards Alabasta. "We got to help Vivi save Alabasta! Since you're here and a Marine, surely you'd help?"

Sighing, she pulled her Marine jacket out of her bag. She had not gotten to wear it properly while performing a duty other than taking down that random pirate vessel after what she had happily referred to, in her mind, as 'the island'. Her mission in Alabasta required secrecy to some extent and gallivanting about with her younger brother would not guarantee that. "Luffy-kun, I'm supposed to be observing and helping quietly. Granted, bravo on the outfits, but I stick out and my prior 'outfit' is known by Baroque Works and particularly by their leadership. How would I help if they recognize me?"

Traipsing over to Andrea rather happily, Sanji held a bag that had clothing that the brunette was scared to look at as she had seen Vivi and Nami's attire and had assumed the blond had a hand in picking out the clothing. "Andrea-chaaaaan! These might fit even though you are really tall but it would look great on your physique anyway." Before Andrea could reach for the bag that she feared, Luffy snatched the pouch away and pulled out the outfit.

The captain's eyes bulged at the skimpy apparel as he held it in the air between him and his sister. While he thought about her wearing it, Andrea got a proper look at the garment. Like she and apparently her brother suspected, the outfit was similar in style to Vivi and Nami's but had a different color scheme. The top was a deep, rich red while the long, dancer skirt was a pretty, pale pink. The clothing had unintentionally reminded her of Sakazuki and as cheesy as she felt, she liked the reminder and begun to reach for the clothing. Luffy, anticipating his sister's action, attempted to throw the clothing overboard in distaste while Nami blew a gasket at her captain. "Luffy, don't waste _my_ hard earned money!"

Andrea did not even realize when she had begun to move to retrieve the garment until it was already in her hands. The crew looked at her in shock and her brother, pleased with his sister's improvement in mobility, shrugged in acceptance of her choices. "Just don't act too flirty, sis. Your boyfriend wouldn't like it."

Andrea dropped the clothing onto the deck in pure shock while Sanji looked heartbroken and a tad frightened. "It's not that Admiral you were with at the Baratie was it?"

Snorting in amusement as she bent over the pick up the clothes, she shook her head. "Oh I would never date Borsalino-san. He kept looking down my shirt and kept trying to peek at my panties when he would make me practice kicking."

Luffy's face turned red with barely contained rage while Sanji and Zoro got interested. The chef was curious at her combat style the most however and had to ask, "How do you fight?"

Noting that the swordsman's interest was likely due to the small blade at her waist and the chef's due to her mentioning kicks, she reclined onto Luffy's shoulder which had the immediate effect of calming down the feisty Straw Hat captain. He settled for playing with her hair while she debated how to explain. "I shouldn't tell you with me being a Marine and ya'll being a pirate but…" Luffy started visibly pouting and upon seeing their captain do it, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper got in on the fun and the lanky Marine could not keep face at their antics. Giggling softly she conceded and pulled at her dagger. "Well, my twin Ace has a dagger like this that he gave me. I made it a point to be able to learn how to use it in a way to honor him. The person who taught me is Smoker's subordinate, Tashigi, and she has a massive obsession with Zoro-san over here."

The aforementioned swordsmen grumbled in annoyance. "She looks like my childhood friend and once she saw my sword, she wouldn't shut up!"

Usopp immaturely snorted at the unintentional innuendo and even Andrea had a sinister smirk on her face. "Anyway, I learned a little about blades from her but I prefer not to use a sword. I knew a little bit about Aikido before joining the Marines but polished that along with a little Muay Thai. I know I'm not a power fighter like Luffy-kun or Ace but at the least, I can avoid being hurt or at least give an opponent a blow that would faze an opponent long enough for me to escape. I have a glove on my left hand since that's the hand that handles the knife and I keep my right hand uncovered because it's my last resort weapon."

Luffy poked her scarred palm while the crew stared at it. Chopper seemed a bit on edge by it while Luffy was bored. "Sis other than smack me with it, I don't remember anything special about your right hand."

Sneering, she smacked the back of Luffy's head with her hand and rather than stretch or bounce, his body just flew forward slightly. Chopper's eyes crew big as he immediately understood. "Your hand emits the properties of Seastone!" The brunette nodded but Chopper's eyes became concerned as he noted the dried blood around her palm, the rough edges of the scar and the redness of her normal skin on the hand. "But something is wrong with you. Where's a doctor?!"

"You're the doctor!" The crew yelled back as comprehension dawned onto the little tanuki.

"Well since I'm the doctor, I'm giving you a check-up!" he declared in a very resolute tone.

Freezing up immediately, Andrea picked up her clothing and dashed into the cabin. "Let me change first," she stammered as she slammed the door. Rolling his eyes for a minute, Luffy leaned on the door to give his sister privacy.

Nami remembered something earlier that she found curious and could not help but ask Luffy. "How did you know your sister was involved with someone?"

Chuckling with a wide grin, he replied, "Because she's being much nicer than usual and she got misty eyed looking at the outfit which she normally would never consider." Sweat drops ran down everyone's head at the thought that this was Andrea acting nicely. At that second the door opened and Luffy was being hugged from behind by his sister who had changed into the clothes Sanji had. Feeling a bit anxious about the amount of skin she showed however, she had opted to throw her Marine jacket over the dancer's outfit. The jacket however caught the attention of the crew as Marines with that type of jacket tended to be fairly high ranked. Luffy tugged at the jacket in amusement to his sister's annoyance. "If you're trying to be sneaky, you can't wear this."

"Damn," she muttered as she stuffed the jacket back into her bag. Fully exposed, at least in her eyes, to the testosterone of the crew made her feel really small and almost like a piece of meat but thankfully at the very least, Sanji had halted his advances at the mention of her having a 'partner'. A snarky smirk took over her face at the thought of a very territorial Admiral seeing Sanji flirt with her but then she worried over the collateral damage to the country that the Marines would have to pay for. Remembering the bar in Nanohana, she smirked as she imagined it coming out of Smoker's pocket but the damage would be nothing compared to the amount of food that her and her siblings had decimated. Seeing the reindeer doctor become frantic, she sighed and submitted to his demand to be examined.

Dragging her into the impromptu medical bay that he had created, the reindeer had taken a blood sample but had been horrified to see her blood was acting weird and not clotting properly. Checking the strength of her right hand, he was surprised to see her able to function normally but when interrogating her, was appalled to discover that she had bruises from her earlier encounter with Luffy. Now that she was out of sight of her brother and did not have to pretend to be strong, Chopper observed how she displayed symptoms of nausea and appeared relatively unfocused. "How are you able to be a Marine, Andrea-san? Your bleeding isn't very controllable and with your severe narcolepsy, the fact you're able to function is amazing."

Snorting she looked at her palm, now wrapped with a fresh bandage by Chopper, and reflected on her life. "If it wasn't for my Gramps, I would have been carted off to a lab. All he would say is 'Thank goodness for the Will of D.' whatever the fuck that is. Make no mistake, I try to hold my own but I can't do the long fights my brother could. I get really dizzy and it becomes hard to focus on a target."

Nodding in concern, Chopper started to look in his encyclopedia to find medicine to help. "Have you told your brothers exactly what you have?"

Shrugging she glanced towards the door where she knew her little brother would be awaiting in concern. "I have a feeling that even if either of them didn't know what was wrong with me, that they knew something was. Putting a name on it wouldn't help matters in their eyes."


	28. Vivi's Determination

Another day, another chapter :D  
Roughly based off the events of Chapter 161

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Vivi's Determination**

Luffy's eyes were bright as Nami sewed the piece of paper into the ribbon of the Straw Hat. Curious as to why no one asked her about the Vivre Card at all despite the fact she had taken hers quietly without comment, she had decided not to speak up as she did not foresee a reason that Luffy would need to track down Ace but figured she could mention it later if the need was great enough. Glancing at the desert princess, she noticed her explain about where she had planned to go and smirked. _Yet another time I could provide a useful nugget of information but oh well…_

"I won't let the Baroque Works do what they want to my country!" Vivi's outburst had startled Andrea out of her reverie and the blunt Marine had to give it to the princess. Her love and pride for her country was inspiring and deserved some credit for her effort. Vivi would make a great ruler one day.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sipping some wine, Miss All Sunday smiled around her glass as she listened to Mr. 0 emphasize the start time of his plan. They started chatting about their officers meeting tonight and she smiled, halfway hoping a certain Marine would gatecrash.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Mr. 1 had apprehended Mr. 2's minions due to his annoyance at their 'suspicious movements' and the outraged okama felt the need to defend his subordinates with violence if necessary. After the harsh man was kicked by the exuberantly dressed one, the café owner aka Miss Doublefinger stepped in to lecture and assert the priorities gives to them as trusted by Mr. 0.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The Shichibukai was pleased to hear that the Flower Flower user had done so well with the arrangements he trusted her to make. She had arranged transportation for his highest officers which took some foresight. Hearing she had foreseen the need to use a different method of communication as the Unluckies had been delayed and had opted to use the Elimaki Runners to contact the "Billions" was an example of the woman's shrewdness.

* * *

-The Next Morning-

* * *

Closing her desert jacket to avoid the sun beaming down on her already sensitive skin, the tall brunette had eyed the scenery around the town of Erumalu. Andrea's little brother already started complaining how the area was not green as Vivi claimed. Laughing when a little critter popped up and beat up Usopp, the Marine watched as the princess started freaking out. Dragging the injured sniper to the doctor so he could be healed, she fixed Vivi with a hard glare. "Why didn't you warn us about it? Granted I've been kinda close to this area but the others had not."

Biting her lip in embarrassment, the princess was upset. "I'm sorry. I keep worrying so much about the rebellion that I forgot." Rolling her eyes, Andrea placed a comforting hand on Vivi's shoulder.

"Relax. You got my brother and his crew here. Luffy gave you his word he would help you did he not?" Vivi's blue hair bobbed happily as she nodded and Andrea's eyes softened. "There ya go. My brother never breaks a promise."

A question bubbled within Vivi and she was unsure of whether the brunette would deem her worthy of an answer. The general confident, unfazed aura she radiated though, unhampered whatsoever by Chopper's insistence he examine her, made her realize that perhaps she had not been involving the blunt spitfire enough. "Andrea-san, why don't you get the Marines or rather the World Government involved with your mission?"

Seeing the worry and obvious stress on the young woman's face made Andrea sigh at her innocence. Digging in her handbag, she pulled out her Baby Den Den Mushi so that the princess could see it. "I have called for very limited back up but unfortunately, Smoker who was sent here, was too caught up with apprehending my brothers rather than further investigating the situation here but hopefully him spotting you will have shaken his priorities." Vivi's eyes widened in fear. She did not anticipate being recognized by anyone, yet alone a Marine who was not a citizen of Alabasta, and if it became known she was associating with pirates, the consequences could be rather severe and possibly impede her ascending the throne in the future. Seeing the pale princess hyperventilate in front of her though made the brash Marine feel a little sympathy however. "Put it this way… if I put more effort into getting help from the higher-ups… you'd have a Buster Call to deal with."

Vivi's heart stopped at that moment and leapt into her throat. _I never considered that would happen. _"Surely a rogue Shichibukai isn't enough to warrant such a threat!"

Holding out her hand, Andrea stuck out one finger. "Rogue Shichibukai who wants to rule a," she put another finger up, "country where there is an army of rebels awaiting manipulation," and she put a third finger up, "and his partner is quite the undesirable according to the World Government. Sounds like protocol for a Buster Call to me." Letting out a breath, Andrea shivered as she thought back on her words. _Heh… imagine that. Slap me in the Marines for a bit and here I am casually chatting about Buster Calls as if it's the weather I'm discussing. _"It's better off this way, Vivi-sama." The princess raised a blue eyebrow at the formality while Andrea shrugged it off. "By pulling off what you want, either Marines get credit or you get credit and there's a chance both parties get recognized for their efforts. There are innocent people at stake you want to protect yes?"

Before Vivi could answer, she sighed when she noticed Luffy had defeated quite a few Kung Fu Dewgongs and saw Chopper had to barter in order for their group to move inconspicuously. She began to explain about the area when Andrea could not help but space out until Nami had recognized the description of a powder that was being talked about. Hearing more about Dance Powder intrigued the Marine and then she realized why it seemed familiar to her. Despite all the time she spent training, being in her position required her to be aware of banned substances and laws. Nami held a finger in front of her as she spoke. "It causes droughts to downwind areas"

"It's outlawed too: both manufacture and possession. A forth, unneeded reason as to how this situation would have warranted a Buster Call." Andrea murmured with false cheer as she shook the sand out of her sandals.

She noticed her brother become more anxious as Vivi explained even more and was about to cry. Dashing to go hit something to relieve some stress, Andrea stretched and made sure her dagger sheath was easily within reach. By the time her brother came back, Luffy motioned for them to move on. "Let's move forward already. I'm anxious now."


	29. Menaces of the Desert

A nice, plump chapter for my lovelies  
Please enjoy and let me know what you like

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Menaces of the Desert**

"Aaaaaah!" Luffy's tongue was sticking out in discomfort at the heat. Andrea giggled softly as she looked around. Although uncomfortable, the orange haired navigator started yelling at Luffy, ironically about wasting energy. Chopper really was not looking too well either but it was not like reindeer were native to such a climate.

_Would have been better to leave the poor dear at the Going Merry so someone watches it and so he doesn't overheat,_ the Marine thoughtfully contemplated. Usopp started teasing the doctor and enraged by the jabs and the heat, the reindeer transformed which had the effect of making Zoro yell because he became heavier on the sled he was dragging him on. The thought that Chopper became heavier when he changed to his 'human' form made her curious as she wondered where his extra mass came from.

Sanji shook his head at his crewmates' antics as he glanced at the relaxed Andrea and Vivi. Turning towards the bluenette, he smiled charmingly at her. "You don't seem to mind the heat, Vivi-chan."

She chuckled as she looked right at home. Andrea rolled her eyes at the lack of common sense… _If she grew up here, of course the weather won't bug her._ Climbing over the mountainous dunes, she glanced back to see Vivi explain about the desert. To her amusement, her brother was demanding to drink water and as she saw the crew's exasperated looks, she knew she had to step in. Dubbing the reindeer doctor as the one in the most need of assistance, she walked over to the sled and saw the swordsman raise a lime green eyebrow at her. Putting her scared palm over the furry animal, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her savior but know it would be difficult as when she had imitated Devil Fruits, she found out that it was more painful and difficult the longer it had been since seeing them. She also was unsure if having a bond with that person would make their powers easier or harder for her to copy.

Chopper gasped in relief as she frosted his fur with a very thin layer of ice. Andrea was sweating with the strain of just doing that but luckily, thanks to medicine that she was given by the reindeer himself, her palm did not bleed but it did tingle in irritation and pain quite a bit. Wiping her brow, the Marine strode over to her brother who just took a huge gulp of water and put her hand to his cheek. Focusing very carefully on how Kizaru and Akainu had described Aokiji's powers to her, she let out a breath as she released the tiny amount of power she had. Looking at Luffy a second later, she was torn between worry, shock, and amusement when she saw that she froze the water to her brother's tongue. The crew starting laughing when their captain stuck out his tongue with a huge ice cube attached to it. Chopper, thankful for his cool down, examined her palm and prodded it. "How are you able to do that? You haven't eaten a Devil Fruit at all!"

Smiling, she winced slightly as the doctor wrapped her hand tightly with a bandage even though there was no bleeding. "It's a trait I found I could do. It was actually why my palm bled a lot more lately because I can imitate, in a limited manner, Devil Fruit powers I encounter. The ice power I used was from a Logia who saved me once."

Accepting her explanation without question, the crew giggled as Luffy dashed ahead to a rock in order to convince the crew to take a break sooner so they could eat. The crew was displeased to see that their stuff taken but what really made Andrea groan was the words out of Vivi's mouth. "Warusagi are called 'Thieves of the Desert'. They fool travelers and steal their luggage. I should have told you…"

Sanji started yelling at Luffy and shook him in annoyance. "That luggage was for three days, Luffy. How could you let a bunch of birds steal it? That was all of our food and water! How are we going to…"

Luffy retaliated angrily, "I was tricked, I can't help it!"

The blond snorted in disdain. "You bird brain!" The chef was moving to kick his captain and Andrea saw red and her fist tightened in rage.

The first mate, foreseeing what could happen, decided to step in. "Let's take a rest. The heat is making you all angry. Just chill out." Motioning to the Marine with his hand, he continued. "Andrea could just frost some of us just a little bit." Chopper started to panic when Zoro sighed, "Just a little so her palm won't get pained. Glancing at Vivi, he asked her, "We're going to get to Yuba at night, right?"

Vivi was anxious seeing Zoro take charge. "Yes…"

Before the green haired man could continue, Luffy spotted the herons that swiped their supplies and despite the crew's frantic pleas, took off after the avians. What made matters worse was the giant desert reptile that came out of nowhere and chased Luffy as well as a random camel. The blond cook sighed as he took his cigarette out of his mouth in annoyance. "I suppose we should save that camel running beside him."

Placing a hand to his swords, Zoro agreed and murmured, "What star was I born under that gives me all this damn trouble?"

Chuckling as she stood next to the two men, Andrea stretched and pulled out her dagger with a hard glint to her eyes. "That lizard looks delicious to me and an adequate replacement to our supplies."

Luffy, angry at his supplies being taken but yet jubilant in anticipation of how this lizard would taste glared at the critter. "That's it…"

The four of their attacks put a number on the lizard and it died, mercifully quickly. Nami and Usopp sweated at the power exhibited by them and the sniper's knees buckled. "They didn't have to go that far…"

Nami sighed, both in fear but also in relief that they were on the same side, "Together they are stronger than a monster…"

"Sanji!" Luffy was poking the monster with his foot. "Was Andrea right? We can eat this right?" His sister grinned as she started stabbing the carcass, a little overenthusiastically, with her dagger.

Sanji nodded as he eyed the creature and noted how precise the Marine was carving the lizard. "Yeah, it looks like it."

Zoro's stomach growled rather uncomfortably. "Perfect timing." He watched the cook take pieces that Andrea was cutting off the lizard and placing them onto the various flat rocks around area. They began to heat up immediately and the delicious smell wafted into the air.

Grinning around the cigarette, Sanji looked at the sizzling meat proudly. "These rocks are like nature's frying pans!"

The swordsman glanced at the camel, finally realizing after he had his stomach full, that the humped creature was there. "What's up with the camel?"

Luffy shrugged around his meat and took another bite while he answered, "Dunno. When I was chasing the birds, he came running up. Then I saw the lizard chasing him too so I started running too." Andrea chuckled as she eyed the camel. The crew started marveling about camels and their uses and finally realized that two people could ride the camel. Luffy, wanting a break from being a designated pack mule, attempted to climb but only for the animal to protest.

Chopper, understanding his fellow creature, ran up to translate. "I am just a passing camel. Thanks for rescuing me. I'll let you ride me but I won't let any guys ride." Chopper took a quick breath. "That's what he says."

Luffy, Sanji, and amusingly enough Usopp started berating the camel. "You stupid punk, who do you think saved your worthless life?"

Nami sauntered up the camel and allowed a flirtatious smirk on her face as she stroked the camel's face cooing softly, "I'm sorry my bandits were mean to you. What a good boy. What should I call you?"

Snorting at the situation and the easily tamed perverted camel, Andrea chuckled even more hearing the names being volunteered out. However, Nami dubbing the camel as 'Eyelashes' made the soft laughter bubble out completely into outright chortling. Zoro facepalmed as a sweat drop went down his head. "That's worse than the other names." The Marine nodded in amusement as she stood up to prepare for their upcoming travels.

Nami, now mounted on Eyelashes's back, strode over to Vivi in the attempt to try to offer a ride but when the princess declined, she waved over the Andrea who shrugged her shoulder as a decline. The camel started to mock the men of the crew, of which Sanji took the most offense. Looking towards the horizon ambitiously, the navigator smiled. "Now we can get to Yuba a little faster." Vivi hopped on realizing that doing this would help greatly.

The Marine chuckled as Nami got Eyelashes to move. "I like how Nami-san automatically knew she was one of the slowest in our group." Zoro snickered at the snarky comment as they chased after the speedy camel.

Turning back, vein slightly pulsing in her forehead as she had heard Andrea's comment, Nami sneered "Hurry up, everyone! If you get lost, you'll never make it out of the desert alive!"

The swordsman's eyes flashed angrily as he shouted back "Screw you, witch!"

Sanji made a kick at Zoro's head in retaliation for the comment. "I still love you Nami-swaaaaaaan."

What ended up hindering the crew now became the panicked shouts from Luffy, "It's a tsunami!"

Andrea looked at her brother in confusion as she felt the intense, beating heat from the sun and saw the glint of the sun on the sand around them. Despite Luffy's usual idiocy, this would be a bit of a stretch. The crew's befuddlement was made worse when Usopp pointed out a cactus that Luffy had eaten with the lizard meat. Chopper went over and unhappily identified that the plant caused hallucination which made sense as the Marine looked again at her brother who now was claiming to be drowning. Restraining her brother, who relaxed very slightly realizing it was her near him despite the fantasy enveloping him, became limp when Chopper tranquilized him.

Sanji thumbed up the doctor's action but like Usopp and Zoro, became panicked when he realized how far away Nami and Eyelashes had gotten since Luffy fell into the thrall of the hallucinogenic cactus. Although Sanji and Zoro had gotten into a fight over what to do as their personalities clashed greatly, they both agreed that despite Andrea volunteering, she should not drag the sled that had her brother and they decided to take turns. Stuck with walking, she glanced over at Usopp who was unused to so much physical activity while Chopper, who had an ice block under his hat courtesy of the Marine, was following in his animal form. It took some time for them to catch up with the two girls on Eyelashes, which happened when Sanji and Zoro decided to beat up Luffy who started to wake up from his illusionary dream.

It did not take long however for night to fall upon the desert and the drastic change in temperature. "The temperature's the exact opposite from daytime."

"No shit. Really did you learn that in school or is that written in some unofficial piracy guide?" Andrea snorted as she did not realize who was speaking up and frankly did not care. The day had been hell: dealing with a princess who forgot to mention the dangers of her country, having to put up with Sanji who fought with her brother, and the fact she could get in deep trouble with the Marines. There was one Marine in particular that she did not want to displease and other than family, it would take a lot to make her willing to gamble on such a situation.

Andrea was unsurprised to see that she was ignored by a majority of the crew while her brother gave her a one armed hug and Zoro clapped her on the back in agreement. Vivi spoke up after she saw something that gave her hope. "There! Can you see the light?"

Sanji, irked by how he had to put out a cigarette due to the desert winds that were obscuring Luffy's eyesight, attempted to look ahead. "Did we make it to Yuba?"

Luffy placed his hand above his eyes to try to see ahead. "I can't tell, there's too much sand blowing ahead…" A slight shake in the area made him pause. "Why is the land rumbling?"

Vivi's eyes grew larger as she saw the state of Yuba. Andrea slapped her forehead in recognition of the area. The princess shrieked in fear, "Something's wrong with this town!"


	30. Sandstorm in Yuba

Yay another favorite :3

Another semi big chapter  
Please enjoy and let me know what you like

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 30: Sandstorm in Yuba**

Vivi watched in despair as the sandstorm ran through the small town relentlessly. As quickly as it came however, the sandstorm dissipated and upon properly seeing the town, Andrea was struck by nostalgia. "Oh so _this_ is Yuba… damn. If I remembered, I would have mentioned the town is practically deserted."

Walking in, they saw an old man digging with a shovel and recognizing Andrea, he waved at her. Nodding at the old man, Andrea saw Vivi flinch in recognition but the princess still knew her duty and went bravely up to the old man. "Excuse me but we heard that the rebellion was based here."

The old man stiffened as he looked at all of them critically. "What do you want with the rebellion?" He freaked out and started to throw things at the Straw Hat crew. "Don't tell me you want to join those filthy rebels." He turned sadly to his hole that he was attempting to dig in the sand. "Those fools aren't here anymore." While the Straw Hat crew, Vivi especially was shocked and they had to strain to hear more. "That storm you just saw wasn't the first to attack the town." Andrea thought of a certain Shichbukai and groaned audibly as the old man continued. "The drought has been drying us up for the past three years. The sandstorms are just more and more frequent and its sands have been steadily eating away at the oasis and now, it is as you see it."

The Marine gasped as she remembered. "The rebels aren't based here. We practically already passed their base."

The old man nodded as he continued to shovel the sand. "They moved their base of operation to Katorea."

Vivi gasped loudly and sensing her distress along with Andrea's facepalming, Luffy had to ask, "Where's that Vivi? Is it close by?"

The princess felt close to crying and was slightly strengthened when Andrea placed an arm around her in a one armed hug. Looking at the crew, she sadly murmured, "It's the oasis next to Nanohana."

The Straw Hat's captain, completely lacking tact, shouted, "Hey! What did we come here for then?"

The old man stopped shoveling when he heard what he thought he heard. "Vivi? Did you really just say Vivi?"

Luffy promptly freaked out and hollered loudly, "Hey mister, Vivi's not a princess okay?"

Andrea groaned and smacked her little brother upside the head. "Oh Luffy-kun… You really make me want to kill you sometimes."

The blue haired princess was worried when the old man came closer to her and the hope in his eyes became more evident. "Are you Vivi-chan? Really Vivi-chan?" Standing in front of her, he took a hold of her and happily beamed, "I'm so glad you're alive! Don't you remember me?" Looking down, the wizened man sighed. "I guess not since I lost some weight."

Vivi looked at the man carefully when a memory clicked within her mind. "Mr. Toto…?" The man cried as he nodded happily.

His next words were spoken with great passion. "Listen to me Vivi-chan. I believe in the king and know he would never betray your father. Isn't that right?" Waving his hand at the abandoned town before them, he muttered, "This rebellion is absurd. Please I beg of you to stop these fools." His eyes reached for her soul tightly. "You're the only one who can do it." Andrea inspected Vivi for a reaction and saw her glassy eyed as she took in the town and this odd, old man that she knew from her past. She reached for the princess but she stood stiffly and the Marine looked at Toto for help. His words awoke Vivi from her reverie. "It's only been three years. Who cares if it hasn't rained? I as well as the majority still believe in the king." He looked over at the horizon before focusing his gaze upon the Straw Hats. "They have been stopped over and over but won't be stopped any longer. The rebels plan to end this with the next attack and are prepared to die. Please Vivi-chan, stop those fools before it's too late!"

* * *

-Meanwhile in Katorea-

* * *

Kohza spaced out in his tent, thinking about the country of Alabasta, the princess Vivi and to his frustration, the odd woman they had found not long ago. That damn woman raised too many questions but it was too little to sway him from leading the rebellion.

* * *

-Back in Yuba-

* * *

Vivi held out a handkerchief to the kindly, old man and smiled gently at him. "We can stop the rebellion, Mr. Toto." The crew smiled and Mr. Toto, in gratitude, led them to an area where they could sleep for the night. It did not take very long however for a pillow fight to erupt within the unofficial sleeping quarters. Vivi smiled seeing the happiness that was emitted from these peaceful people.

However despite being a heavy sleeper as well as cursed with narcolepsy, Andrea was not in the building and instead was out with her brother who currently was pestering Mr. Toto with her questions. Playing with the sand between his hands, he glanced at the old man. "Mister, there's no water here. My throat is really dried out. If it wasn't for Andrea chilling our drinks, I dunno what I'd do."

The Marine sighed at her little brother's blunt ignorance but she could not deny the amount of charm or compassion he held. Digging furiously at the ground, Mr. Toto replied, "The water will come. Yuba's oasis still lives on and cannot be defeated by mere sand. I'll just dig the sand away. This land is special to me because the king, Vivi's father, gave it to me."

Luffy contemplated his words for a moment before deciding to dig with his bare hands. He looked at his sister with a mix of annoyance and jubilance. "Oi sis, move your ass and help me dig."

Chuckling at her little brother's enthusiasm, which was filling Mr. Toto's hole with sand from his hole, she stood among them and held out her palm. Focusing quietly, she willed the sand to move and tried to be unconcerned with her palm's tingling. _Damn my hand doesn't like using that Shichibukai asshole's power._ A few grains of sand shuffled away from them but to Mr. Toto's relief, they did not fill his hole and instead went a few feet away. By the time Luffy fell asleep in the bottom of his deep hole, Andrea's palm had been coloring the sand below her red and she closed her eyes to think of a trick that Chopper told her to do. Intentionally chilling the air around her palm, she froze the blood around her palm's wound and thankfully it stopped bleeding. Wrapping her hand carefully so Chopper would not worry, she spotted Mr. Toto who saw her sleeping brother. He smiled, touched at the siblings generosity and muttered a thanks to Andrea as she dragging her passed out brother to his crew.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Mr. 2 was spinning around in a mixture of boredom and annoyance. Miss Doublefinger sighed. _Why did I get stuck with these morons…? _"Please be quiet Mr. 2." Mr. 4 tried to talk but was shouted over by Miss Merry Christmas's derogatory comments towards her partner. Massaging a pulsing vein on her head, muttered and surprising not shouted, "You too Miss Merry Christmas."

Robin smirked hearing how _well_ everyone was getting along and sauntered into the room. Laughing behind thin hands, "Looks like you all can't get along but that doesn't matter." The officers cheerfully greeted Miss All Sunday and she smiled as she continued, "Thank you for enduring the long journey to come here. Having us all together will ensure our victory."

Mr. 1 raised a thin eyebrow at the svelte woman. "Where are we, Miss All Sunday?"

Waving her hand dismissively, she realized they had been taken in the back door. "You're likely familiar with the town where people dream of getting rich quick via gambling. This is the 'Dream Town' Rainbase." Waving a hand to the building around them, she continued, "You are now in the towers above an oasis in the middle of Rainbase in the greatest casino in town: Rain Dinners. Now if there are no questions, we'll continue."

Miss Merry Christmas impatiently beat her hand on the table while the other Baroque Works members sans her partner wanted to beat her down. "Yes, let's go. Start now! Start right now!"

Tipping her cowgirl hat forward momentarily to roll her eyes, Miss All Sunday tilted her hat back to look at her lower officers. "First, we must introduce your unseen boss." Mr. 1 fixed the thin woman with a look as the woman did not seem concerned with his intense gaze. "Until this moment, I have acted as his figurehead," a wind went through making the candles in the room flicker, "when it came to giving orders but there is no more need to do so… I hope this is understood."

"It's about time," a swirl of sand starts in at the chair at the end of the table. "The final plan of the Baroque Works is Plan Utopia." To the Baroque Works officers' shock, they notice the Shichibukai who appeared before then with a few stray grains of sand in his dark hair. A smirk was upon on his face.

Miss All Sunday clapped as she smiled blankly. "I thought you all would recognize his public face."

Miss Merry Christmas's jaw dropped upon seeing the man. "Well damn, this is unbelievable."

Miss Doublefinger's shock was evident as she gasped, "I would never guess that one of the Shichibukai…"

Mr. 2's face displayed contempt that was further distorted by the sheer amount of makeup on his face. "You mean we've been working for a pirate?"

Mr. 4 had no idea what to say and appeared to be choking on air.

Mr. 1 looked skeptically at the man before him and was not visibly intimidated in the slightest. "You are our boss?"

Glaring at the officers below him, Crocodile put a little bit of killing intent in his gaze. "Any complaints?"

The table silenced immediately when Miss Doublefinger shuffled uncomfortably. "I don't have a complaint but rather a question. Why would a pirate protected by the government do this?"

Crocodile leaned back as he realized the question was a legitimately good one and one he expected out of his high officers. "What I want is not money or land but rather military power." Seeing the confused looks on his other officers, he continued as he crushed a cigar. "We need to talk about this in order. My objective is first followed by the details of the organization's final plan."

Mr. 2 smirked widely as he thought more about his situation. "You mean we're taking over the country? Sounds exciting!"

Mr. 1 thoughtfully looked at his superior. "So our last duty is to apply the last part of the Baroque Works' plan?"

Nodding as he motioned to the papers in front of his officers. "All your work before has led up to this very moment. The time has come to rid the world of the kingdom of Alabasta." After reading the orders and memorizing them, all the officers burned their orders as they listened to their leader's words. "When all your orders are done, the kingdom will be destroyed and those rebels as well as civilians will fall into Baroque Works' hands. This country will become our utopia." He stared down the long table intensely. "Failure will not be tolerated. Your orders start at 7:00 in the morning." He smirked at his partner victoriously while she returned it with a smile. "Meeting adjourned. Pray for victory."

* * *

-The next morning-

* * *

Mr. Toto smiled happily at the Straw Hats yet sadly at his country's princess. "I'm sorry for acting so disgracefully, Vivi-chan."

She dismissed his apology easily and held his shoulder in comfort. "No worries. We're going to be going now, Mr. Toto."

Nodding, the old man turned towards Luffy and handed him something. "Please take this Luffy-kun."

Luffy was curious until he realized what it was. "Water?! And it's cold! You got some?"

Nodding happily, Mr. Toto waved a hand over to the hole he was digging and to Luffy's older sister who had still not woken up due to her heavy sleeping. "It took a while but we hit water level thanks to you and your sister. She helped take the sand out of the water and chill it when it took it out of the ground."

Luffy's eyes grew big at the kindness of Mr. Toto and the charitable of his older sister. "That sounds like it was difficult. I'll drink it carefully."

The old man grinned happily as he waved to them. "Genuine Yuba water. I wish it wasn't all I could give you."

It had not been very long before Luffy, carefully carrying his sister, sat below a gnarled branch and glanced at his crew. When asked what was wrong by Vivi, he shrugged offhandedly and simply said, "I quit."


	31. Defiance and Protection

Thanks for reading everyone! Seeing your views makes it well worth it but favorites, follows and reviews make the feeling better :)  
Enjoy this chapter!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 31: Defiance and Protection**

The thin man carefully traveled through the base and was rewarded with the sight of his fellow officers sitting at a long table. Shakily smiling, he spoke up and hoped his voice did not carry his fear. "I would appreciate if you hold off on this plan."

The Shichibukai Crocodile glared at the man in question and was intensely displeased to see it was Mr. 3. His partner's face was one of shock but the brunette quickly regained her composure. "Mr. 3, how did you get into the 'Secret Underground Base'?"

The Okama of Baroque Works knew he was in deep but his words did not help matters. "Where did you sneak up from? I got rid of you, just like orders dictated."

Growling, Crocodile was at the end of his patience. "Mr. 2…"

Raising an eyebrow, the wax fruit user explained, "Sneak? So rude. I followed the officers from Spiders Café by simply hitching a ride." Glancing hopefully at his former leader, he continued, "Boss, please listen. I came here because I wanted another chance. I understand Mr. 2 being assigned to kill me for failing orders so I changed my path and continued to the meeting spot."

Crocodile, steamed at his agents' incompetence, was very petulant. "You failed to complete your orders? Explain."

Waving his hands in front of him, the thin man elaborated. "I am referring to the fact that I allowed Vivi and the Straw Hat crew to escape."

Enraged, the Shichibukai shouted at his former officer, "You let them escape?!" Mulling the news over in his head, he murmured, "That means they are still alive. Why on the Den Den Mushi did you say that you disposed of them?" He glared very pointedly at Mr. 2 while saying the last statement.

The wax user now was visibly confused. "I never used the Den Den Mushi while at Little Garden."

Crocodile's anger was almost tangible as he processed the news. "Damn… that's why the Unluckies never came back." Slumping into his chair, he reached for a cigar and hoped rather glumly for a little good news. "Tell me you killed at least one or two of them."

Mr. 3 shook in fear as he prepared to sign what felt like his death warrant. "Not exactly." Crocodile almost choked on his cigar at the sheer lack of competence before him. Glaring at the coward before him, the wax user continued hoping to appeal to Crocodile's sense of organization. "There was an obvious mistake with information. Vivi has four escorts and there was another man with a long nose."

Crocodile had a vein pulsing in his forehead which did not get better when Mr. 2's screechy voice broke through. "Oi Zero-chan," Crocodile's eye twitched but he allowed his subordinate to continue. "Explain to me what's happening. I don't get this." Sighing, the sand user explained and the okama's next statement would make him feel like stabbing needles into his brain. "I met those people." He looked at the photos and sketches that were before him. "I met them all while I was on my way here." Changing his voice to show the identities of all the Straw Hat crew members he had touched, which included Usopp as well as Chopper whose identities were not discovered by the Unluckies, Mr. 2 displayed shock at realizing that Miss Wednesday was really princess Vivi. "I didn't realize at the time that those people were my enemies."

Smoking deeply, Crocodile lazily looked at his officers. "They all know my public identity. Letting them go will cause interference. Mr. 3's statement about more people and Mr. 2 showing their identity means that if we exclude the obvious pet, there are five people including Vivi. Chances are they are already in Alabasta." Snapping at the flamboyant okama, he ordered him to get pictures taken of the Straw Hats using his Devil Fruit power.

Mr. 3 was starting to panic when he flung himself to Crocodile in hopes of redemption. "Boss, please give me another chance. I swear I'll destroy Vivi and that crew."

Scowling and officially at the end of his patience, Crocodile reached for Mr. 3's throat and tightly squeeze him. "Silence, you moronic egghead. Do you realize why you had the position you had, Mr. 3?" Gasping as his skin dried up, he was unable to respond when Mr. 0 glanced over to Mr. 4. "In a fight, you are inferior to Mr. 4 but I had believed in your sneaky ways and tricks would be able to fulfill orders. Yet you disappointed me and someone who cannot do what he needs to do is not worth my time."

Mr. 2 watched the scene before him, worried he was next. "What's happening?"

Miss Doublefinger watched as Mr. 3's throat shriveled visibly. "He's drying up…"

The former Baroque Works agent was gasping on the floor, wishing desperately to quench his thirst. Hearing the feeble requests, Crocodile smirked maliciously. "Drink all the water you like," he pushed a button which caused a trap door to open below Mr. 3. Walking over to a window, he tapped on the glass to alert one of his pets. "Feeding time," he cooed almost lovingly. The Bananadile trotted almost happily over to the dehydrated wax user as he glanced in fear at the creature before him. With the matter of a failed agent taken care of, Crocodile strode over to the table full of his most important agents. "Memorize these five pictures into your mind. They want to stop the rebellion and not suppressing them will allow them to pop up."

The okama glanced cautiously around him. "Zero-chan, if Miss Wednesday is the princess, she could stop the rebellion."

Chewing on his cigar, the sand user scowled. "Unfortunately, I heard that the rebel leader, Kohza, and the princess were friends as children. While she may not easily be able to stop that wave of men, she could sway and sidetrack them if she was to meet Kohza. They must not be allowed to meet. Within the rebels, I have some of the 'billions' placed and there has been no news from them." Looking up at his svelte partner, she smiled invitingly at him. "Miss All Sunday, send a message to the 'billions' within Nanohana. Use a Den Den Mushi if necessary. Their orders are to annihilate the Straw Hats." He looked sternly at his subordinates who were squirming at his gaze. "Do not like the princess or the pirates into Katorea. Vivi and Kohza must not meet!" Miss All Sunday nodded in compliance and Crocodile barked to his officers, "Leave all of you or you'll be late to the party. 'Utopia' is within reach. There must be on other problems."

Miss Doublefinger nodded in ascent. "Leave it to us, boss."

Mr. 2 cheered and assumed a ballet position to showcase his delight. "We'll doooooooooooooooo it!"

Smirking around his cigar, Crocodile was pleased with himself. "Enjoy yourselves."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The crew looked mutinously at their captain while Andrea sighed and fanned herself in the intense heat. Luffy looked rather bored and glanced at his crewmates with a sigh. "We're going back…"

Nibbling his cigarette, Sanji affirmed it and attempted to explain to his captain. "We have to travel back on the road to head to Katorea and stop the rebels. If all the citizens clash, it's all over. Do this for Vivi-chan!"

Luffy snorted and proclaimed, "Boring," which only infuriated the cook more. Andrea glanced towards Katorea and remembered the rebels rather well but that unfortunately included the man who was leading them. Luffy noted the contemplative glance on his sister and turned to the princess. "Vivi," he barked.

The princess, confused about the argument, replied, "What is it Luffy?"

Fixing her with a hard glance, the captain announced, "I want to beat the shit out of Crocodile." Andrea smiled softly hearing her brother's words and to her pleasure, he continued explaining his point. "If we stop the rebels, that won't stop Crocodile. As pirates, we can't do anything at Katorea. Andrea is the only one who would be able to accompany you to Katorea and do some good as she is a Marine."

Andrea looked uncomfortable being named but knew her brother had a point. Her Marine jacket felt heavy within her handbag as she thought of her duties. Sanji and Usopp looked intrigued by their captain's thoughts but Vivi still looked skeptical. "But Luffy…"

The Straw Hat's captain interrupted her before she could finish, "You just don't want anyone to die in this war. Your countrymen or us. Be realistic here. We're fighting a fearsome Shichibukai and over a million people will be fighting yet no one will die? That's naïve."

Nami started screaming in anger, "Shut up Luffy! Think of Vivi's feelings." Andrea and surprisingly Sanji halted the navigator's banter. "Why are you two stopping me?" While the chef tried to placate her, Andrea merely shushed Nami as they resumed watching the argument unfold more.

"What's wrong with not wanting people to die," Vivi shouted at Luffy."

The captain looked at her in mock amusement. "People die," he simply stated but his opinion received a punch from Vivi. Andrea stiffened and unintentionally her killing intent increased greatly. Feeling the danger, Sanji and Zoro restrained her but to their misfortune, Vivi's next words only made the Marine struggle more.

"Don't talk like that or dare to say that again. I want to stop deaths. The army or the rebels can't be blamed for this! Why should they die? It's all Crocodile's fault!"

Disgruntled and partially channeling his sister's anger and fury, Luffy struck back at the princess, not caring for her station. "Then why are you risking your life?" The scuffle escalated more with the crew torn between worrying how to intervene and restraining Andrea. Luffy snorted as he felt Vivi's righteous fury. "One life is enough for such a venture?"

Vivi struck the captain again in anger, "Then what am I supposed to risk? I have nothing else to risk!"

Luffy glared hard at the princess on top of him. "Try risking our lives. We're friends aren't we?" Vivi slid off him in surprise while Andrea passed out, tuckered out by her struggling with the chef and first mate. Luffy gave a small smile looking at his now peacefully sleeping sister and he resumed his conversation with Vivi. "Look at you. You're crying now. Out of all of us, you should want to kill him the most." Wiping some of the blood from his nose, he looked at her firmly. "Now tell me where Crocodile is."


	32. The Route

Please enjoy :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 32: The Route**

Vivi pulled out a worn map to show Luffy while he retrieved his sister from being molested by Sanji and brought her to the safety of his arms while looking over at the map. Seeing Luffy as calm as he was going to get, the princess pointed at the map. "The oasis called Rainbase is where Crocodile is. Basically straight north of here. It'll be about a day's worth of travel."

Chopper sweated as he was in his reindeer form to help travel faster. To his sadness, he would have to wait for Andrea to wait to frost his fur but he looked at the map with hope. "Will there be water?"

Nodding, the princess petted the furry doctor. "Yeah, it's a pretty safe gambling town. It should be away from all the fighting."

Nami's eyes lit up and turned into Beri. Zoro sighed seeing her face while Sanji thought if over. "Guess there are those types of places anywhere."

A couple of scrapes later, the crew saw that Luffy was keeping away Usopp from the precious water that Mr. Toto had given him claiming the water was very precious. Growling at the noise and from being shuffled from her brother's movement, Andrea grabbed the water and glared at the two of them. "Both of you chill the fuck out or I'm going to kill someone."

Silence reigned as the two of them instantly quieted down, albeit Luffy with a big grin while she went to frost Chopper's fur as she saw he looked rather pale for a reindeer. Nami, after getting over how scary Andrea was, looked at her captain. "Will you really be able to restrain yourself?"

Scoffing at the lack of faith, Luffy glomped his sister making her fall into the desert sand then turned to grin at his navigator. "So rude! Of course I can!"

Pulling the now irate Marine out of the sand before she could lash out at her brother, Zoro turned to the crew and shouted, "Let's just go already."

He barely took off in a direction before Sanji shouted back, "You're going the wrong way, you Marimo idiot."

Smiling, Luffy rallied the crew and they took off towards Rainbase. However, it did not take too long before him and Usopp were being hit by the brunt of the sun's rays. Nami giggled at the pair of them but when Zoro gave her an odd look, she cleared her throat then shouted, "You two should stop doing that!"

The duo scoffed at her and tried to climb aboard Eyelashes. The resulting scuffle only irritated the navigator while Vivi giggled at their antics. Andrea was trudging through the sand but was in a much better mood while she led the party and sneakily using her palm to cool the air in front of them. She did not want to concern Chopper overly and glancing back at them, she smiled seeing Zoro talk to him. "You aren't wiped out today, Chopper?"

Huffing, the reindeer looked at him proudly. "Nope, I'm certain I can stick it out today!" Sanji smiled proudly while Andrea, touched at Chopper's enthusiasm, blew some of the cold air towards Chopper who instead of nagging her about straining herself, grinned happily.

Vivi touched Luffy's shoulder hesitantly and was rewarded with the image of Luffy's tongue sticking out. "Luffy-san…" The captain looked at her in confusion as the heat was frying his brain. "Thank you." At the blatant lack of understanding, Vivi continued, "I could never have made that tough decision without you."

Nodding, Luffy proclaimed that Vivi would feed him. When it was the princess's turn to be confused, now it was Luffy who explained, "Once I whoop Crocodile's ass, you gotta feed me til I explode." Vivi nodded and Luffy grinned at Vivi's happiness but also at the fact his sister had started to cool down his body with her palm.

Andrea smiled at her brother's antics and flicked him playfully in the forehead. "Give Crocodile a punch for me too bro. He was quite creepy and wouldn't stop leering at me either." She walked away as Luffy huffed at the news and tried to spur the crew to go faster.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kohza just finished shouting at a young child who believed he was fit to join the rebel's forces. It did not take long before one of his soldiers asked if he was alright but the strain of being the leader of what would be thought of as the 'bad guys' was really getting to him and on top of that, wondering about Vivi and that unusual woman from the other day stopped him from even sleeping properly. Looking at the men around him, Kohza proclaimed, "When our weapons are ready, we'll launch an attack on Alubarna."

* * *

-Meanwhile in Alubarna-

* * *

Chaka and Pell looked at each other in sadness. Pell looked at his fellow captain as he was in a mood as was he. "The king won't let us attack, we're being suppressed by the rebels and morale is already low… If only Igaram was here."

Chaka turned away from his friend as he thought on Igaram. "Pell, don't bring that up. He is loyal to Alabasta. I'm certain Vivi-sama has a plan. "

Leaning on the stone wall he was sitting on, Pell looked at Chaka and muttered, "I wish we could be in on the plan unless that's part of the plan."

Feeling similarly disgruntled, Chaka nodded but the duo's musing was cut short by a messenger who proclaimed that Vivi's companion, Carue, had returned. The two of them took the poor bird to their king and while letting him consume water, checked out the message that Vivi had written. Cobra was sitting on his bed in shock and betrayal. "The shock just hurts. Crocodile is supposed to be on the government's side but yet he wants to take over the country…" Taking a minute to compose himself while watching Chaka check over Carue, he made his decision. "We must not waste this opportunity and the sacrifices already made. We will attack Rainbase and Crocodile at once." Cobra listened to the points that the guard captains made but his mind was made up and when he retaliated with his points, Chaka shook with how strong the king's spirit was. "We depart tomorrow morning. Send all troops to Rainbase!"


	33. Finally

Thank you to my kind guest reviewer who has been reviewing on some of my prior chapters :) Have a muffin! :D  
Enjoy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 33: Finally**

Luffy was happy to finally been within sight of Rainbase but his sister was still apprehensive due to her first hand experience with the sandy Shichibukai. Raising his arms triumphantly, the captain shouted, "I'm going to beat your ass, Crocodile!"

Chuckling, she went to act as a cooler for Chopper and Usopp who were overheating yet again while Zoro attempted to silence his overzealous captain. Vivi looked very anxious while Nami sneakily looked over to the crew's long nosed sniper. "Usopp, did you finish it?"

Sanji looked on in confusion as to what business Usopp would have with the beautiful navigator. Nodding, Usopp pulled out what he called the Climatact and begun to explain it. "It looks like your old weapon but your attack changes on how you put it together!" Sanji spaced out the explanation as he counted exactly how much contact there was between the two crewmates when realization hit him.

"Don't give Nami-swaaaaaaaan any dangerous weapons! Vivi-chaaaaaan and Nami-swaaaan don't need to fight 'cause I'll protect them. Just call me Prince." The blond twirled around when a certain swordsman and Marine snorted at the name.

"Prince," snickered Zoro as he shared a look with Andrea. The comfort that the swordsman had around the tall Marine had irritated the cook quite a bit especially with how she had attempted to distance herself from him.

"Oi! Shut the hell up, you damn Marimo!"

Shrugging off the blond's threat, Zoro glanced at Vivi. "Do you think Baroque Works knows we're in Alabasta?"

The princess nodded as she thought about what happened recently. "Well we met Mr. 2 on the way here and we know Mr. 3 is here…"

"So common sense dictates they know what we're doing here," continued Andrea as she glanced towards Rainbase. "I doubt that Mr. 3 is going to get a golden reception however." The Marine was confused when Nami and Usopp groaned at her unintentional pun. Raising an eyebrow when no one explained, she decided to keep explaining. "Mr. 0 or rather Crocodile doesn't strike me as one who takes failure lightly. There is a chance that he punished Mr. 3 so that might mean but won't guarantee an easier time for us."

Vivi agreed with a smile but Andrea's little brother still had a blank expression. "So what does that mean?"

Usopp rolled his eyes at Luffy's lack of deduction. "Since Mr. 2 knows our face and prolly let the other officers know, we gotta be careful. We also don't know this country well. Vivi has been out of the country for a while and Andrea-san may have been spying but doesn't have in-depth knowledge of the area."

The Marine nodded at the sniper's assessment when Zoro chipped in his two cents. "They also specialize in assassination."

Luffy nodded but his expression was still the same. "I'm going to beat your ass, Crocodile!" Usopp scowled as he smacked Luffy on the head but the rubberman's head merely swayed with the movement which caused Andrea to giggle.

Vivi stopped Usopp from smacking the Straw Hat again. "I agree with Luffy-san. We don't have time to think of a complicated plan so we need to go with instinct."

The crew began to chuckle as Usopp's cowardice became more evident. They walked into a restaurant but Andrea stopped the crew from entering despite her little brother's demand for water. The familiar sight of a female swordsman with her superior made the Marine pause in apprehension. "Smoker-san, why Rainbase?"

Taking a drag on his cigar, he looked at his subordinate with the air of an adult explaining to a child. "I just have a feeling. Something stinks in this country." Andrea's frantic attempts to keep a thirsty Usopp and Luffy out of the building however were met with failure as they charged the counter and began demanding water.

Tashigi looked at her superior with curiosity. "Are you certain this has to do with Crocodile and his lackeys?"

Andrea watched at the good luck of her two fellow Marines not noticing the pirates gulping down the kegs of water. Smoker breathed deeply and replied, "No idea… As to the connection between the princess and the Straw Hats, we've found nothing so we got to sit and wait." He glanced to his side where a skimpily clad brunette was standing next to two seated slender men, one of which was exceedingly familiar. "Andrea-san?"

She flinched in fear and awaited the berating but Luffy and Usopp freaked out and spat water at the two seated Marines. She stifled a giggle at Smoker's expression but that ended when she felt Luffy's hand grip her wrist tightly. "Not again…" Sure enough, her little brother began to drag her out of the little pub with the kegs of water in his other hand.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The other Straw Hats were resting as they trusted Usopp, Luffy and Andrea to be able to retrieve some supplies but Sanji was still concerned. "Will they be ok you think?"

Nami shrugged as she was playing with the Climatact to familiarize herself with it. "They'll be fine. Andrea-san is competent enough to make up for those two."

Zoro polished his swords carefully while looking at the navigator with slight agreement but was still skeptical. "They still might come back with trouble. We should be ready."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Smoker shouted at Tashigi that they would pursue the two pirates and the 'captured' Marine but the elderly owner of the little restaurant was forcing the swordswoman to pay since she knew the two youngsters who took off with the water without paying.

Luffy and Usopp were screaming in panic as Andrea was dragged behind her brother rather haphazardly. Turning to look at his big sister, Luffy shouted, "What are the Marines doing here?"

Coughing through the dirt that the two were kicking up, she sputtered back, "I'd like to hope they were doing their job but they seem to lack the necessary information. Let me go, Luffy. Maybe I can talk to them."

Her brother however was too worried about his sister getting in trouble that he simply ignored the request. Groaning, Andrea luckily had managed to maneuver herself somewhat limitedly but avoided bruising like the last time Luffy had dragged her around Nanohana. She glanced towards where they were headed and saw the blond head of the chef. Groaning, Sanji turned to the rest of the crew and announced, "Shit… the Marines are chasing them and Luffy is manhandling poor Andrea-saaaaaaan."

Groaning with her head into her hands, Nami muttered, "So if they're being chased, why are they headed here?"

Vivi started to panic as Chopper was not back yet from his bathroom break but Zoro shrugged her concerns off rather easily. "He's just taking a piss. He'll be fine."

Luffy started to get close to his crew where he felt the need to shout, "The Marines are coming! Let's go!"

The first mate was displeased as he hoped that Andrea would curb some of the duo's stupidity. "And you really brought them over here…"

Grunting in discomfort as Luffy finally released her, Andrea massaged her wrist. "Can't really do much to stop them when I'm dragged like a dog on a leash." Knowing the Marines following them would not recognize her position within the military, Andrea took off with the pirate crew.

Vivi looked around in worry. "With all this commotion in this bad neighborhood, the Baroque Works will spot us!"

Zoro's sharp eye caught the gaze of a few of the thugs relaxing on the street. "Looks like it's too late for that."

Luffy shrugged as he was worried about one thing. "Show me where Crocodile is!"

Vivi and Andrea exchanged a quick glance before nodding at each other. They both pointed at a pyramid shaped building where Vivi explained, "The building with the crocodile on top of it is the casino owned by Crocodile called Rain Dinners."

Getting a quick drag on his cigarette, Sanji muttered to his crewmates, "We should scatter."

Luffy agreed them murmured, "We'll meet at Croc's place."

Smirking at the plan, Andrea stopped and faced her fellow Marines. Her left hand drew her dagger quickly and held it in front of her carefully while stared down at the troops in front of her. As predicted, Smoker stopped his troops and gave a questioning gaze to Andrea. "Smoker-san… you should get a tan while here. The weather is perfect for it."

Smirking at the thin brunette, Smoker gave an appraising onceover to Andrea's lack of attire. "And I'm certain _your_ Admiral would appreciate that outfit."

She chuckled as she motioned her head to the crew that had departed behind her. "It wasn't my idea trust me but… I can't go around in my normal clothes here. I'll stick out like a sore thumb, Smoker-san."

To Andrea's worry, Tashigi appeared behind Smoker and attempted to remind him, "Sir, the Straw Hats?"

Chuckling, she looked over at the swordswoman. "As adorable as your crush on the Straw Hat's first mate is…" At her words, she blushed horribly while Smoker looked at her with skeptically. "You have other priorities as my report to Admiral Aokiji dictated."

A couple of the subordinates who were not familiar with Andrea's relationship to Smoker and Tashigi were displeased that some scantily clad female with a sharp blade was ordering his superiors around. "Move out of the way, whore!" One announced as he charged her but to his annoyance, she looked at him as if she stepped in camel dung.

He charged her head on with a sword but she sidestepped him easily and with the hilt of her dagger, hit the man so hard and quickly on the back of his head that he fell unconscious instantly. Glaring at the man's friends, Andrea was pleased to see that they had not broke formation to attempt to pass her.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nami and Usopp were glad that no Marines had pursued them but they were being followed by some members of Baroque Works. Jumping over some barrels and boxes, Usopp had an idea and kicked a barrel towards the thugs chasing them. To the sniper's shock, the men actually stumbled and he puffed out his chest in pride. "Wow that actually worked!"

Smiling widely, Nami praised him. "Good job, Usopp! I could almost kiss you right now." The long nosed man blushed crimson and thanked the powers that be that Sanji was not nearby. The pressure to answer Nami was eased however when she spotted Rain Dinners ahead of them.

The sharpshooter looked around in confusion. "No one else is here yet?"

To their fear, they saw a few members of Baroque Works aim some rifles at them but thankfully, Zoro had disabled those men easily. Nami noted that the swordsman was alone and asked, "Weren't you with Vivi?"

He nodded then replied, "I let her go ahead. I thought she'd be here already. Maybe she's inside."

Nami looked around then back to the casino. "I guess we have to hurry…" To their relief, Luffy ran to his crew with a pleased grin on his face.

"Sis is holding off that Smokey guy. Let's go in now!" Running at the forefront of his crew, Luffy puffed out his chest proudly and announced, "Just you wait, asshole Croc!"

* * *

-Meanwhile in Rain Dinners-

* * *

Chuckling, Crocodile puffed on his cigar as he looked out of the windows with a pleased look on his face. Turning an eye to his partner, he spoke with scarcely concealed joy, "Vivi and the pirates are in Rainbase correct?"

Smiling at the Shichibukai, Miss All Sunday nodded with a euphoric countenance. "Yes, I was given word that they were."

Nodding with an appreciative glimpse at the town, he intoned, "Bring that bunch of scum to me then."

Beaming, Robin simpered, "Of course."


	34. Rain Dinners

I'd like to give thanks to 18KmPerHour for creating an account to better follow the story as well as providing more wonderful reviews!  
I really appreciate it and any feedback I receive helps when I write! :)

Also, this chapter marks the point where the story exceeds 60k words! Yay!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Rain Dinners**

With great flourish, Andrea reached into her bag and pulled out the jacket that symbolized her affiliation. Smoker smiled as they finally were getting to the root of the problem in Alabasta, even if they needed the help of the lanky Marine. Reaching for her Baby Den Den Mushi, she dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" A gruff voice responded and the authority within silenced all the Marines around them. Tashigi and Smoker gave each other a curious glance as to why an Admiral would be called now of all times.

"Akainu-san, good to hear you again," Andrea cheekily replied. Her heart warmed up hearing the voice, even if it was just one word."

"Is your mission complete, Andrea-san?" He mumbled warmly or rather as warmly as anyone else had heard him.

"Almost finished. I'm here to request extraction as by the time you arrive here from Marineford, everything will be done and I'll have a report ready." Smoker flinched at the implication that out of all Admirals, this one would be the one to see how he and his subordinates handled the situation called Alabasta. He had been hoping for Aokiji as the two of them got along fine. "I just wanted you to know so the time of the Marines is not wasted by something as petty as travel time."

Chuckling, a sound that set every other Marine on edge, the magma fruit user agreed. "Be careful and good bye."

When he hung up, Andrea looked expectantly at Smoker and Tashigi. "Anyway, I got a plan."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Despite the lingering absence of his sister, Luffy was excited to begin the beat down. "Crocodile! Get your ass down here!"

Usopp and Nami smacked Luffy as they noticed the customers of the popular casino give them odd looks. The navigator shook the captain as she felt depressed at his idiocy. "That's not how you make him show up, moron!"

Usopp took another swing at Luffy as they continued to get weird glances. "He's a hero here remember? We don't want our customers to be our enemies either!"

Rolling his eyes at the points that his crew was making, the captain addressed his two current abusers. "Fine… so what now?"

Usopp froze as he remembered something important. "Without Vivi or Andrea we don't know what Crocodile looks like or much else about him."

Nami groaned as she glanced outside. "Luffy said Andrea was taking care of the Marines but where is Vivi?"

The three of them gave each other worried looks before hollering at the top of their lungs, "Viviiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Crocodileeeeeeeeee!" The green haired swordsman sighed at his fellow crewmate's antics but the sight that appeared next silenced any comment he was about to make.

Smoker and Andrea waltzed in with great ceremony into the casino. The Straw Hats within noticed what she had placed on but the stern effect of the Marine's outfit was ruined by the dancer outfit she had on underneath it. After taking a moment to leer at her, the doorman tried to put an arm on her roughly. "Sir. Ma'am. Government officials aren't allowed in here."

Smirking at her situational partner, Andrea chuckled, "Rather convenient no?" She punched the first doorman out while the one who had attempted to restrain Smoker got shoved into the wall and knocked out.

Smoker however, temporarily forgot about what he had discussed with Andrea at the sight of his quarry. "Straw Hat! You can't escape since this casino is on a lake!"

Both of them did not notice the annoyed female Marine shouting at them as Luffy took off towards the back of the casino, closely pursued by Smoker. "Dammit Smokey!" The captain shouted as he bowled over a floor supervisor without even noticing. The crew and the two Marines were shocked however to see the staff suddenly line up and direct them to a back door.

"Right this way to the VIP room please!" The staff chanted as if they were zombies.

Smoker and Luffy had stopped out of confusion at this turn of events when the irate Andrea smacked them both on the head. "You idiots! We're here to take down Crocodile or did you forget that, Smoker-san?" she growled at the two of them. Luffy had the decency to look sheepish while Smoker gave her a silent plea to arrest her brother.

Nami looked at the staff that was still mid-bow in their attempts to welcome them to the VIP lounge. "Well, looks like he says, 'Bring it on.'" The navigator commented as she noticed the complacent look at the employees.

"A smart guy I see," Zoro muttered as he glanced around carefully.

"Whatever, let's just go," Luffy shouted as he shoved his way past the staff into the room while Smoker and Andrea calmly followed the pirate crew inside. Glancing back at his sister who he noticed was wearing what he liked to call her 'grumpy face,' he just had to ask, "Sis, what's VIP mean?"

Usopp felt like he was about to cry as he followed Luffy. "This is leading us straight to death."

Smoker, having gotten a rough idea about the crew and its captain, turned to Andrea as they continued to follow them. "He's related to you, leads a crew, and evaded capture by me… How?"

Before she could answer however, they all soon found themselves locked inside a large cage that conveniently had a seat twisting around the back of it. Andrea sighed as she was disappointed in herself for falling into the trap but she remembered something that made her glare and in her anger, she grabbed his arm. "Why didn't you smoke your way over the trapped floor and carry me?"

Grunting, the gruff Marine yanked his arm out of her reach. "Because your damn hand negates my power or have you forgotten?"

Snorting, she glanced at her right palm's scar and was surprised to see it shine. It always had that type of reaction when around Smoker's weapon but the effect felt more intense and actually even more draining than usual. Her eyes looked at the cage in suspicion and she caught Smoker's eye as they silently agreed on their situation. She took a seat near Smoker in an attempt to think of a plan as she watched her brother fiddle with the bars before pacing the cage. "That was a fiendishly clever trap!" Usopp agreed with a nod before Nami looked like she wanted to kill the pair of them.

"This is exactly what he wanted! How could you all be so stupid?!" Andrea mentally agreed but yet was reminded of the simple fact that not only did Nami get caught in the trap but she did too.

Ignoring the navigator's rage, Luffy held onto the bars as he looked out of the cage. "I feel really weak…"

Usopp, attributing this to Luffy's normally ravenous hunger, was curious at the captain's sudden weakness. "Are you hungry for meat?"

The two Marines rolled their eyes and after glancing at Andrea for silent permission, she gave a slight nod to which he delighted far too much in. Quickly after grabbing the jutte from his back, he struck the chipper Straw Hat's captain and with the force of the blow as well as the composition of the weapon, the young man was wincing at the pain. To further emphasize the rather aggressive point he was making, Smoker dug the tip of the jutte into Luffy's stomach. "You want to try to fight eh Puff?" Usopp shouted in an attempt to distract the Marine but he was honed by too many fights and battles to take such meager bait.

Luffy gasped as pain wracked his body yet he wondered why his sister did not attempt to help him hold off her fellow Marine. Attempting to channel her calm demeanor, he gasped raspily, "Why can't I barely move? It's like I fell into the sea…"

Andrea clapped, hoping her little brother would have an epiphany as she stood up and dragged Smoker away to prevent him from digging the jutte further into the rubberman's chest. The sniper of the Straw Hats however was displeased at how the two Marines were acting without giving them a shred of information. "What the hell did you do the Luffy? Why didn't you stop him Andrea?"

Waving around the jutte, the gruff Marine noticed that Usopp hid behind the green haired swordsman. Smirking, he held it out in front of him so they would notice. "The end of this jutte has Seastone. Marine prisons have this all over and it emits the same energy as the sea."

Andrea held her palm out to show the crew her scar which began to glow white eerily. "My scar displays some properties of Seastone but it also demonstrates that skin exposure with the substance obviously isn't recommended if Chopper's rants at me are to be believed."

Glaring at Smoker, Zoro looked towards Luffy who was starting to recover now that the jutte was away from his skin. "That stuff weakens our captain…"

Smoker sneered as a reply, "If this cage wasn't made of the same stuff, I'd be gone after destroying you lot of course."

"Oi Smoker-san! Don't forget…" but the stubborn captain ignored Andrea who was waving towards the cage with her scarred hand.

The swordsman and Smoker however were sizing each other up as they prepared for a confrontation. Both were blocking out their companions words when a calm, deep voice interrupted him. "You should listen to them you know. Don't kill each other. You all should be friends." Turning around, the Shichibukai stared down at the occupants of the cage with scarcely concealed glee as well as a leer as he took in Nami and Andrea's outfits.

Smoker growled as he recognized the figure before him. "Crocodile…" Andrea put an arm on him and tightly gripped his bicep hoping to calm the Marine captain down but that was to no avail as the Shichibukai intended to prod them into annoyance.

"Such a stray aren't you Smoker-kun," he affectionately addressed the Marine who was literally smoking from his ears. "You never looked at me as if I was an ally at all."

Snarling at the sand user, Andrea gripped the bars of the cage tightly and was mildly surprised at the amount of pain going through her palm. _Odd how it's reacting like this but whatever. _"He's not the only one who looks at you that way. I got to say the Admirals have the right idea about shit like you."

Crocodile was unconcerned and stood in front of the cage as he glared at the young woman dead in the eye. "You aren't of any rank of importance with the Marines. Your disappearance is irrelevant to their operation where I can report that Smoker-kun perished in an accident while fighting the Straw Hats. The government wouldn't send Marines here normally."

Snorting in disbelief, Andrea sneered in reply, "So then why am I here? Obviously Alabasta has been doing something suspicious in the government's eyes. Just the fact you tried to stop Smoker-san and I entering through the front is proof of that."

Luffy glared at the opulently dressed man in obvious distaste. "You're Crocodile!" He ran up to the bars to grip them tightly while he continued to loudly berate him. "Fiiiiiiight meeee!" However, the effects of the Seastone yet again came into play and he crumpled up on the ground in a weakened state.

Chuckling at the pirate's meager attempt, he looked at him as well as Andrea. "It is interesting. I wasn't sure I'd be able to meet Straw Hat in the flesh or his sister yet again." He gave a quick leer at the woman who surveyed him in barely veiled disgust. "I won't be killing you all yet. Our guest of honor isn't here yet but my partner is retrieving her."

Andrea's heart jumped as she realized his words and she began to scream at the Shichibukai who just dismissed her accusations and ranting.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Miss All Sunday watched in amusement as the flying Zoan, Pell as her information had told her, disabled some of her minor Baroque Works agents. Brushing sand off her ankle boots, the willowy woman walked towards the princess, ignoring the threat her protector imposed. "That was rather interesting. That's the first time I saw a human fly but I wonder if you are stronger than me."

Pell stood in front of Vivi protectively as he glared at the Paramecia user in front of him. "Are these the people you said wanted to destroy our country?"


	35. The Beginning

Thanks again to 18KmPerHour for your lovely review of the last chapter :)  
I do try to squeeze in the Akainu moments here and there but there will be a lot of upcoming action going on soon!

Everyone enjoy and let me know what you like :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 35: The Beginning**

Akainu had rallied a few minor Marines that had been on his battleship for a small, faster traveling vessel. No real need for a battleship as he was not traveling for the intimidation factor this time. When the navigator questioned the Admiral about his urgency for speed, he merely looked away and told the man to mind his own business but the navigator was not just observant about the seas or the boat. With a smirk, he went about his business to prepare the ship for a journey to Alabasta as well as a comfortable room for the Admiral as well as his 'guest'.

* * *

-Meanwhile in Rainbase-

* * *

Robin chuckled as she approached Vivi with a confident saunter. "Such a pity… my poor employees," she murmured as she looked at the beaten and bruised Baroque Works members around her. Her relative lack of concern vanished the closer she got to Vivi. "If you don't mind," she airily said as she looked at Pell with an appraising glance, "I'd like to take the princess to the mansion and introduce her to some friends."

Pell snorted as he looked at Miss All Sunday with disdain. "Cut the crap already."

Vivi's composure broke at seeing Miss All Sunday's disturbing serenity. "Stop screwing with us!" she yelled as she pulled out her Peacock Slashers and attempted to charge the raven haired woman.

Barely batting an eyelash, Miss All Sunday caught Vivi's hand with little to no trouble. "A princess shouldn't be so unladylike, Miss Wednesday."

The bluenette was filled with rage as she muttered, "How dare you do that to Igaram."

A confused look crossed the dark haired woman's face for a moment before she realized who the princess was talking about. "Oh Mr. 8?" Seeing the outraged faces of the Zoan and the princess before them brought a grin to her face. She tightened her grip on Vivi's arm before snickering, "Why are you so angry? How is that any different than how you just treated my employees? What a joke. You really are that naïve." Without any further words needed, she struck the princess.

Pell's eyes widened as went into his Zoan form and charged the skimpy outfit wearing woman. "I'll turn you into sand you, damn woman!"

Rolling her eyes at the dramatics, Miss All Sunday crossed her arms and muttered, "Tres Fleur." Three arms appeared and disabled Pell's wings as well as making it difficult for him to draw a weapon. The Zoan crashed ungracefully behind them but hearing Vivi's shout of concern made him aware of the princess.

"Vivi-sama! Are you unharmed?" Pell shouted while Robin giggled.

"Did it really look to you like I killed her?" Her face was back to serene as she decided to taunt the guard before her. "I was only having a little bit of fun."

Pell's face paled even more at the realization. "You have a Devil Fruit power also?"

Smiling, she held out her arm and watched the two Alabastians who were transfixed by arms sprouting out of her arm. "I ate the Flower-Flower fruit. Parts of my body can grow out like a flower. That's my power," she winked at Pell who gaped at her. "As long as my body is willing to grow more parts of me, I'll never let you escape from me."

Pell's anger got the best of him as he snarled, "Escape? That's ridiculous when I could avenge Igaram-san right here, right now!"

Tilting her head back with laughter, Miss All Sunday sighed at the man's insistence. "I'm sorry. I really would love to play with you some more but I'm out of time," she winked at Pell suggestively.

Appalled at the woman's light tone and dismissal of his strength, Pell rushed at her in a rage. "You won't need any time!"

Giggling softly, she glanced at him with thinly veiled amusement. "You don't understand," she crossed her arms gracefully. "Seis fleur!" Arms appeared onto Pell and forced him into submission. Cheekily, the western dressed woman patted him affectionately. "That power and speed mean nothing to me." After using her clutch on him, she turned away from the defeated man. "So much for the strongest warrior in Alabasta." She then turned to Vivi with a predatory grin and a peaceful smile as she held out her hand. "Shall we?"

* * *

-Meanwhile at Rain Dinners-

* * *

Andrea giggled at the sight before her. Luffy had twisted one of his eyebrows into a curly manner, parted his hair, and pretended to hold out a cigarette. As if it wasn't obvious who he was impersonated, his next words made it blatantly obvious. "Hey, did you eat all the meat?"

Usopp clapped and while Nami mentally admitted the impression was spot on. Crocodile was still surveying the crew with interest when Andrea gave her brother an appraising look. "Who are ya going to imitate next, lil bro?"

Luffy scrunched his brow in contemplation but before he could attempt to imitate anyone, the orange haired navigator shouted at him, "Hey, be serious! We could be killed like this!" She turned to the ship's first mate that was sleeping while leaning on Andrea's back. She was facing Smoker whose gaze was focused on Crocodile. Kicking the swordsman in the stomach, Nami hollered at him, "Why are you sleeping in a situation like this?"

While Zoro sleepily answered the navigator, Smoker whispered lowly to Andrea. "Why don't you use your power to blast through the cage? You escaped before after all."

She shrugged noncommittally and turned her gaze to Crocodile who was taking an unhealthy interest in Nami. Muttering back to her fellow Marine, she sighed. "Too many people here plus my hand feels like it's burning. Also do you think that anyone else here could really deal with a Logia? I know I can't… I just got lucky and escaped. Could you take out a Shichibukai single-handedly, Smoker-san, while he targets the rest of us in the area?"

Nodding the point she made, he sat straight up and growled in annoyance at Crocodile's glance towards the two Marines. "Is that why you informed the Admiral?"

A slight smirk was on her face for a few seconds before the door cracked open. Both Marines and all the pirates focused their eyes and saw a familiar sight. Smoker's eyes widened and his gaze met with Andrea's and suddenly he understood the nature of the call. Crocodile spread his arms in a mocking, welcome gesture, "Welcome Vivi, princess of Alabasta or rather Miss Wednesday." At the alias, Smoker sighed at what a tangled mess they were in. "You have done a commendable job in avoiding my agents on the way here."

Vivi squared her shoulders as she glared at the sandy Shichibukai in defiance. "I'd come from anywhere so I can watch you die, Mr. 0!"

Snorting in contempt, the dark haired man looked rather pleased with himself. "I beg to differ. Your worthless country is what is going to die, Miss Wednesday."

The remarks irritated Vivi to the extent where she pulled out her Peacock Slashers and charged him. Luffy screamed as he already knew the result. "Wait Vivi! Let us out of the cage."

Smoker and Andrea looked at each other, knowing the inevitable result of the princess's actions. Muttering in annoyance, Zoro was the only Straw Hat who heard her comment. "So a low ranking agent thinks she can take down a Devil Fruit user who is the strongest in the organization. The lack of common sense is blaringly loud."

Smoker nodded in agreement while the swordsman watched as Vivi's weapon struck Crocodile's head where it burst into sand. Rolling his eyes, Smoker puffed on his cigar in annoyance. "Not that easily taken down, that Crocodile…"

The sand swirled around the princess, stroking her hair almost lovingly before she heard a raspy voice. "Are you satisfied, Miss Wednesday?" He materialized behind her and restrained her tightly against his body before whispering into her ear rather loudly, "If you lived in this country and did your research like certain people," he acknowledged the female Marine with a bored look, "you would know about my Devil Fruit power." Smiling, he tightened his grip painfully on her body. "Shall I dry you up?"

Usopp's barely contained fear was audible in his words. "Sandman!"

Luffy's rage brought him to the very edge of the cage but he knew better than to touch it this time. "Oi! Let go of her dammit! I'll kill you!"

Snickering at the caged captain and the distressed princess, he threw her into a chair. "Sit and stop looking at me that way. I believe the party is about to begin correct, Miss All Sunday?"

Andrea got up off the seat in the cage and walked to the cage's bars, gripping tightly with her right palm. The searing pain did not dull her rage against the two top members of Baroque Works in front of her. The dark haired woman tilted her hat back as she looked at her pocket watch. "Correct. It's past 7," she intoned.


	36. To Protect Alabasta

Thanks yet again to 18KmPerHour for your review :) I enjoy seeing you post!

This chapter will have a couple of brutal moments near the end but will get better in the next chapter

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 36: To Protect Alabasta**

Crocodile's laughter rang through the large, opulent room sans the cage as he surveyed the people before him. The Straw Hat crew was appalled at the plan completely while the two Marines shared a silent understanding. Looking down at the princess, the Shichibukai sneered at her, "What do you think of this plan you helped with, Miss Wednesday? I bet you could hear the outrage of the citizens if you were outside and who do you think they actually would believe in: a lying king, a rebel leader promising release or the kind Shichibukai protecting them from all the above?"

Vivi clenched her heart as emotional pain was making her feel so hollow yet aflame at the same time. "Stop this… how can you be so awful when these people look to you for protection?"

Crocodile dismissed her words with a noncommittal shrug as he continued to gloat. "Love for one's country will be what destroys it in the end."

Zoro snorted at the man's attitude. "He fits the definition of 'depraved' to a T." The two Marines nodded in agreement as the words only fired up the Straw Hat captain more.

Standing next to but not touching the cage's bars, Luffy's rage was plain to see. "That heartless bastard. If it wasn't for this cage…"

The Shichibukai looked proud at the emotions rolling across the faces of his captives. "I remember this used to be a hassle. Collecting members, money and the supplies to make that Dance Powder… ah the memories! We had to stir up trouble to bring towns to the brink of destruction, teaching our employees had to commit false acts of government corruption, and slowly erode the trust in the royal family to meet our goal." Looking at the princess with a satisfied look adorning his face, he questioned her, "Miss Wednesday, do you know why I want to control Alabasta so badly?"

Vivi screamed at him in disgust, "How could I understand what goes on in your twisted, disgusting head?" Crocodile tutted at the royal before him like an adult disciplining a child while the Marines as well as his partner watched him in interest. Vivi was undeterred however and looked at him with conviction in her voice. "We can still make it if we go to Alubarna."

The Shichibukai smirked at her as he talked down to her, "What a coincidence! We were going to go straight to Alubarna to ask your father one question." He ignored Vivi's squawks about her father just to hold up a key and taunt her. Seeing the key, everyone's attention focused on it quickly just to have most of their hopes dashed when the man dropped it down a trapdoor. Turning around in confidence, the man grinned as he saw the princess's hopes drop. "You'd have to leave now to even have a small chance of stopping the fight. Or you could retrieve the key from the Bananadile's lair."

Looking to the side of the room, the crew saw quite the sight yet Luffy's vision was interesting. "Whoa! There's a crocodile growing out of that banana and they're enormous!"

Nami facepalmed at her captain's deduction. "No you dumb ass, the bananas are growing from the crocodiles."

Vivi's heart dropped as she looked into the pit and saw, to her horror, a bananadile eat the key. "That thing just ate the key…"

Luffy was not worried in the slightest. "Go down there and make it spit it out!"

The princess's eyes widened at Luffy's orders. "I can't do that! They are ferocious monsters and would eat me if I got close!"

Crocodile chuckled as he looked at the bananadiles outside of the room. "Oh I'm sorry," she cheerfully and sarcastically intoned, "They think anything I drop there is food and you won't be able to tell which one."

Nami starting muttering angrily under her breath about how much of a jerk Crocodile was when Zoro sighed as he realized something, "Dammit… Even if we get out of the cage, we still have to deal with those reptiles."

Andrea audibly groaned while Luffy surprisingly vocalized her thoughts. "We can't get out cause it ate the key you dummy!"

Turning to the pirates and Marines with a superior attitude, Crocodile nodded his head. "We'll be taking our leave now. Oh and the base will destroy itself in an hour as I have no more need of a secret base any longer. Water will flood into this room essentially making it a part of the lake." He looked at the caged people as if they were rats polluting his precious lake. "Make a choice: your country's innocent civilians and around a million of them or these four worthless pirates and two shoddy Marines. The chances of saving just one of them are slim so… are you in a gambling mood, Miss Wednesday?"

Miss All Sunday looked at her fingernails and muttered with a tone of boredom, "Even a princess can be powerless."

Chuckling, Crocodile felt the need to just make Vivi feel even lower. "So many idiots in this country such as those rebels or that old man digging pathetically in a dried up oasis," he paused when he noticed Luffy was getting riled up at just mentioning Yuba. Amused at finding a new punching bag, he continued, "What a stupid geezer who thinks he can truly overcome the sandstorms over and over. Tell me Straw Hat Luffy, do you think that 'sandstorms' can attack a single location like a town so successfully so many times?"

Andrea gasped in realization as her right palm began to twitch with pain. "That's why when I was helping him dig…"

Nami's eyes widened as tears pricked her eyes. "He didn't…"

Vivi looked at her fellow women and did not want to admit the possibility of what she was hearing being right. "What does that mean…?"

Laughing as he departed, he allowed a bit of his sand to swirl around the room and was satisfied to see that every single person understood immediately. It took only a minute for his footsteps to stop being heard as he and Miss All Sunday left the compound. Vivi sat there in despair when water started to spurt up from the floor. Usopp freaked out as he put together how bad of a situation they were in. "Water's coming in! We're going to be flooded in and the only people able to stop those gator are Devil Fruit users! Hurry Vivi! I don't want my life to end this way!"

Zoro sighed as he took the omission of his fighting abilities from the monologue as an insult. "Just shut up."

Retaliating in annoyance, the skinny man continued to shout, "Do you really want to die this way? That's what happens if we don't do anything!"

Vivi shakily got to her feet as her thoughts began to plague her mind. Spinning her Peacock Slasher, she lost the will to chase Crocodile as she looked at her friends in despair. Luffy knew he had to get to the princess somehow. "Vivi if we die now, who will stop him?"

It did not take long for a bananadile to enter the room via the path that Crocodile had walked down moments prior. Smiling softly, the female Marine looked at the shaken princess. "Oi Vivi-sama, get out from in front of the cage. I'd hate to see our efforts go to waste by you being in the crossfire."

The princess glanced at her in confusion before Andrea placed her hands on the cage curiously as if trying to see how strong they were. It did not take long for the bananadile to be in front of the cage and stare her down. Placing her right hand on the creature's snout, she chuckled softly as the crew behind her was bamboozled at why the woman was petting the creature. Nami, fear staining ever decibel of her voice, muttered, "What are you doing?"

Grinning wildly, even Luffy flinched when he saw a hard and intense look to his sister's eyes. "Finding the key." Focusing for a moment, a beam of light shot out of the bananadile's back and before she could warn them, the body exploded. The room, now showered with guts but no metallic key, now looked like a rather morbid tomb for the caged. Sighing at the lack of success, the Marine blew on her aching and bleeding palm before glancing at the princess who had endured the worst of the gut showering. "Vivi, lure more of those damn gators here."

The princess looked rather shaken as if she was about to puke and no one could blame her. Her voice quivered as she looked at Andrea, "I think I could go get help! There has to be a better way than to explode the bananadiles."

Snorting, the Marine waved a bloody hand towards where the two leaders of Baroque Works had departed. "Do you think they're that stupid? They won't make it possible for you go get help. Also in case you didn't realize, these creatures have no qualms about killing us so I won't have any for them."

A bananadile crashed into the staircase and damaged it severely but it gave Vivi hope despite the beam of light that shot past her head which impacted into the reptile causing it, like its counterpart, to explode. Fortunately or rather unfortunately for the crew, the other bananadiles had noticed the carnage and decided to leave rather than line up to die. Undeterred by the gore or the rubble of the staircase, she scrambled up it with a great determination to the crew's cheering. Smoker turned towards Andrea who had a small but noticeable smile on her face. "You have a bit of his brutal flair now, Andrea-san. Why can't you explode the bars?"

Tapping the bars with her finger, she sighed as she felt the true meaning of the Marine captain's words. "It's pure Seastone where as the room I was in, it was only a coating. Also as I'm not an actual Devil Fruit user, if I use the powers, they are much weaker than how they would be originally. So a stronger substance with a weaker power doesn't bode well for me."

Luffy quirked a strange grin on his face as he wiped some of the guts off of his hat. "Sis, look at what you did around here. Does that look like the work of a weak person?"

Andrea surveyed the situation as Smoker and Zoro gave an approving nod while Nami and Usopp had fear tinge their expressions. _I fear I'll start to like operating like this,_ mused the brunette. _Is that truly a bad thing if it gets the job done and protects the innocent?_


	37. Mr Prince

A thanks for the review bagel goes to 18KmPerHour! Your reviews are nice to see

A lovely chapter full of action is ahead!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 37: Mr. Prince**

Crocodile was not a happy gator as he looked at the front of Rain Dinners. His elated mood had wavered slightly at the simpering patrons and desperate townspeople inside the casino but seeing the broken bodies of his minions made his mood take a sharp downturn. "What the hell happened here?"

Miss All Sunday looked around warily before answering, "This plus what the Alabasta's greatest warrior, Pell, had done earlier, I would wager to say all our 'billions' within Rainbase have been taken out."

Coughing out blood on the ground was a Baroque Works member who had barely clung to consciousness. Crocodile dropped his hard ass persona for a moment to listen to the weakened man. "He called himself Mr. Prince. He was heading towards the south."

The duo remembered that they had a weird call on the Den Den Mushi involving a Mr. Prince but they had disregarded it. Even if the Shichibukai had recognized the speaker's tone, he had dismissed the Straw Hat supporter as he had caged the main threat, why worry about a lesser? Seeing his men decorating the ground of Rainbase had sent him into a rage that when he noticed a man running away from the scene, he ignored his partner's words and charged the dashing person. However, Nico Robin was on the look for suspicious activity nonetheless and was anxious when the bridge to Rain Dinners sank. The raven haired woman bit her lip as worry flew through her. _Too many people are in there. Crocodile can't get seen as a hero like this._

Inside the casino, Vivi had her hope sank when the patrons began to squawk about how they were trapped without even a boat to carry them out but before she could truly despair, a blond haired male muttered, "It was all according to plan."

Vivi's eyes lit up as she recognized him. "Sanji-san!" She realized how fortuitous it was that Crocodile had not informed his agents about how Sanji looked but the oddity was that Miss All Sunday had seen what the chef looked like. Another part of the luck was that with how fancy Sanji was dressed and with his typical manners, he was not out of place in the best casino in town.

The cook smiled at her with a million watt grin. "Chopper has been sent off to serve as a decoy. So, tell me where to go princess. But exactly what is going on here?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nami began to yell in hopes that the sound would attract another bananadile but Andrea was skeptical. She had done too well of a job in disabling the gators so none of them wanted to be in remotely in the same area least they suffer the same fate. Luffy began to panic loudly at the water level rising even further. "It's up to my knees!"

Smoker however was relatively unfazed by the pirates' antics and his fellow Marine also was surveying the situation with relative calm. She had taken advantage of the water to wash off the guts from her skimpy clothing and sat on the chair above the water level with him. Usopp, panicking even harder than Luffy if that was possible, shouted at the Marine captain, "How are you so damn calm?"

"How much do you know about the situation?" he calmly intoned while still smoking his cigar. The Straw Hat's captain listened closely and looked at his sister who was curious as to how much the Devil Fruit user would reveal. "His partner is a woman who has been on the run for around twenty years with a bounty nearly as high as Crocodile's." He paused for a moment to watch the panic fully set on the crew but it was primarily being exhibited by the navigator and sniper. After a cautious nod from Andrea, Smoker continued, "The two of them being together and working as a pair in this country to take it over could develop into a disaster to threaten the world."

Nami's eyes bulged at the implication. "The entire world? Isn't that a bit much?"

Andrea giggled lightly as she looked around at the still steadily rising water. "It won't get that bad since I did call an Admiral as backup if we don't finish what we're meant to." She paused for a minute as the crew, particularly Nami, sagged under the pressure of the situation. "But if we have to resort to an Admiral to resolve this situation, I highly doubt that Alabasta would be salvageable yet alone still existing."

Luffy, with great difficulty, made his way to his oldest sister and shook her angrily. "How could you risk Vivi's country that she loves so much? Sis, what the hell happened to you?"

Snorting, she shoved off Luffy's hands and glared harshly at him. "So it's ok for the whole world to be at risk due to an uprising in some backwater desert island? I joined the Marines to make a difference and because I realized that sometimes, shit just happens. That woman with Crocodile is likely a bigger threat than you realize simply due to the fact that she exists," Andrea hissed angrily.

Luffy gave her a hard look and poked her in the forehead. "Oi Andy… I think you forgot something." Andrea's eyes softened as the unexpected action. "Isn't our existence a crime in everyone's eyes?" Her eyes closed as she contemplated her brother's words. He looked at the caged people with him with pride. "Since when did we need yet another reason to kick his stupid ass?"

Smoker shrugged as he agreed silently while Andrea grinned at her little brother's enthusiasm. The male Marine felt like he had to point something out however. "So with the water thigh high, how are we getting out again?"

Luffy began to sway in weakness to Smoker's mild amusement and upon noticing this, Andrea dragged her brother onto the cushion although it would not be a water-free part of the cage for long. Turning towards the crew's swordsman, she asked Zoro, "Are you able to cut the bars?"

The green haired man shook his head as he tapped the bars. "I don't think I'm strong enough to. Dammit."

An undignified snort later and a trail of smoke had the crew turn towards the snooty blond chef who had just dashed down the wrecked staircase. "Shitty Marimo can't even protect Nami-swaaaaan while I'm gone."

Smoker snorted as he nudged Andrea in amusement. "He's not going to protect you too?"

Nami giggled as Andrea scoffed at the comment from the Logia. "I blew up two fucking gators. Do I look like I need protecting to you?"

Zoro glared at his swirly eyebrowed rival and shouted, "Hurry up and find the damn key! One of those gators swallowed it but Andrea scared them off."

Rolling her eyes, the female Marine sauntered as best as she could in the water to the cage's bars. "Sanji, I'm going to try something then I want you to kick the bars ok?" The blond chef nodded in delight at having her attention as she turned to her fellow caged inhabitants. "Please get on the cushion. Concentrating will be difficult enough with the water around."

She placed her right palm on a bar and closed her eyes. Around her, the water seemed to still and time go slower. Her heart beat started to still almost to the point of no motion and she thought of her savior from the past and his cheery yet lazy words. Ice slowly creeped up and down the bars and she willed it to spread to other bars so that they would have an easier time escaping. She saw to her surprise that the water had only been minutely frozen and was easy to break through. Wrenching her hand as she noticed it had been frozen to the Seastone bars, she nodded encouragingly at Sanji who kicked hard at the bars and to everyone's delight, the bars cracked and shattered between the brittle chill of the ice and the powerful kick from Sanji's legs. Glancing at the caged females with great delight, he did a dance of love as his eyes became hearts. "Nami-swaaaaaaaaaaan, Andrea-saaaaaaaaaan! Do you two love me?"

Nami gave him a peck on the cheek while Andrea's cheeks were dusted with rosy color in annoyance and embarrassment. Sanji started to help them out of the cage with Smoker floating a little above the water and Zoro carrying a weakened Luffy but the commotion had attracted the once previously frightened bananadiles. A particularly fat one was eyeing the crew as if contemplating a meal. Annoyed with the critters, Andrea stood in front of the creature as she drew her dagger. The reptile attempted to strike first but the angered female was still fast and full of adrenaline from what could have been her death. Her right palm bleeding and irritated did not deter her in the slightest as she cut a huge gash into the snout of the beast. Roaring in displeasure, it attempted to get on its hind legs to body slam but Andrea had other plans. Squaring herself carefully, she punched the gator in the stomach which caused it to spit up the contents of its stomach. Seeing the metallic sheen of a key fly through the air was the last straw and she scowled at the retreating, scaly beast. "I'm going to make a pair of boots out of you!"

Nami had barely restrained the female Marine when the gator, in pure fear, chucked up yet another surprise which gave the pirates a sneaky idea.

* * *

-A few minutes later-

* * *

Crocodile walked down to the room in annoyance as he thought on the current events. "The bridge was sunk to buy time and it looks like there are more Straw Hats to deal with."

The raven haired woman tipped back her hat to look at her partner. "Did they plan to sneak past us?"

Shrugging, the Shichibukai was spinning a key in amusement. "Even if they did find the right bananadile, I got the real key right here." Robin chuckled at her partner's cleverness and the man boldly pushed the doors open. "I'll kill those damn runts myself!" He froze however seeing the partially submerged room, coated with animal guts, a busted cage and the body of Mr. 3 sitting on top of a bananadile who looked rather ill. Pinned to the man's shirt, a message was written.

"See you later, you croc of shit."


	38. Escape

Woo! Two more favorites/follows! :D Keep them up!

And a thanks to my reviewer 18KmPerHour for a point you brought up - Andrea will develop slightly differently from how Luffy has as she never was originally a rough'n'tumbler like her brothers due to being babied by her grandfather [Garp] yet she kinda got thrown into the shark tank in terms of undesirable situations so she'll have a bit of a harsher mindset than her brothers. However, she's still a big sister at heart who values family and I feel that this chapter will highlight this trait of hers  
Again, I do thank you for the review as it does help me know how my character, the only one I own, is being perceived the way I intended which helps me make the story a great deal more satisfactory :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 38: Escape**

Andrea did not see the need to give much warning when she headed towards the water and merely told them to hold tightly onto her and each other like a human chain. Luffy had a rough idea of what his older sister had planned and started whining how he hated when she said that but nonetheless held his sister closely as she stuck her hand into the water. Glancing back to see the crew hold onto each other with Zoro unhappily clenching Smoker, Andrea pushed herself into the water and felt as if her arm was getting yanked out of its joint as they were tugged upwards. She closed her eyes as the rushing water put a great deal of strain and it felt like only an instant before the rush stopped and she felt the warm, desert air on her hand. With great difficulty, she motioned for everyone who could to swim upwards. Relief filled her body as she saw Sanji take Luffy with great difficulty as he did not want to relinquish his grip on his big sister and she noticed Zoro push Smoker out of the water with great disdain. Feeling a feminine hand grip hers and yank her out of the water, she nodded happily to the soaked Nami who gave her a waterlogged grin in return as thanks. She chuckled as she saw Vivi tug Usopp out of the water with difficulty. "Why can't you swim like a normal person?" the princess groaned as she yanked on his nose.

Smoker looked critically at the swordsman who assisted in saving his life as despite Andrea's hand forcing her upwards, he would not have been able to manage to swim upwards. "Why did you help save my life?"

Shrugging, he motioned to the siblings who he noticed sat near each other. Andrea was squeezing as much water as she could out of her little brother's clothes while he sat and happily enjoyed her babying him. "I don't think you remember but while Andrea-san was staring at her palm and the water, my captain ordered me to help you. Simple as that."

Nodding in understanding, he crossed his arms. "So, will you understand if I complete my duties also?"

Sanji snorted as he lit a cigarette which contrasted starkly with the fragrant perfume he insisted that Nami wear. "So that's what we get for saving a shitty sailor…"

"Hey! I heard that," Andrea scowled lowly as she let her right palm emit a flame to dry out Luffy.

Before Sanji could apologize, Marines began to gather around as they noticed both Smoker and Andrea who, upon seeing her jacket that she wore as a cape, they assumed was a high ranking officer. With all the commotion, Usopp began to panic which startled the serenely drying Luffy into looking around and exclaiming, "So where is that asshole Crocodile?!" He saw Smoker, also dry, and raised his fists in challenge. "Oi! Wanna fight, Smokey?"

Usopp began to shout frantically as they saw Smoker take an aggressive stance. Sighing at the pirate captain's exuberance, he muttered to Andrea, "Is he being serious?" Andrea nodded as she stood up, desert breeze stroking her jacket cape. "Go, Straw Hat." When the rubberman looked at him skeptically, he shrugged. "Only this time will I let you go. I dislike owing pirates for anything." He pulled out his jutte and pointed it threateningly at them however. "Next time, you're a dead man Straw Hat Luffy."

Andrea and Zoro chuckled at the display of that Marine's honor code while the crew began to leave the town to head towards Alubarna. Luffy grinned at Smoker in delight yet noticed that his sister had not taken a step towards Alubarna. "I guess I don't hate you after all, Smokey!"The Marine captain tilted his head in annoyance as his fellow captain pointed at Andrea. "Keep an eye on my sis while you're here. She's kinda a bitch when she's a worrywart."

Scowling in annoyance, she flipped off her little brother while Smoker took a friendly swipe at the pirate with his jutte. "Get the hell out of here," both Marines intoned while Luffy grinned wildly while waving at his older sister.

Smoker looked at his men who looked confused as to why the determined captain was not pursuing his reason to enter the Grand Line. "We aren't going to chase them, Captain?" a brave Marine asked in worry while Smoker shook his head.

"They won't be able to catch them. Call off our men. We got other things to worry about around here." He looked at Andrea who had closed her jacket cape around her as she had been receiving odd looks. "Andrea-san, I believe headquarters was contacted yes?"

She nodded but looked at the worried faces around them. "A ship from Marineford will be here but not likely soon enough. Call for nearby ships maybe?"

He nodded but another minor Marine stood up to volunteer information. "Sir! Ma'am! I doubt our superiors will want to assign ships to chase a small number of pirates."

Smoker growled in annoyance. "When did I care what my superiors thought?"

Andrea giggled as all the underlings dashed away to do as commanded. "I've got places to be, Smoker-san. My little brother is already in trouble."

Raising an eyebrow, he had to wonder. "How? I told him to go and had the troops called back."

Striding to the east, she looked warily at the captain over her shoulder. "Who said the trouble was from Marines?" She gripped her heart tightly as she decided to answer the unasked question in her fellow Marine's eyes. "A big sister always knows when one of her idiot brothers is in danger."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Chopper had prepared a friend of Eyelashes the camel to assist his friends. After quickly introducing the crew to what Vivi called, a 'moving crab', they quickly got on its back to ride but the joys of riding on the back of the crab were short lived as a gaudy, golden hook followed by a trail of sand snagged the princess of the back of the crab. "Vivi!" the crew shouted in fear while Zoro yelled at Chopper, "Stop the damn crab for a moment."

The doctor complied as Luffy glared at the hook for a second before leaping towards it and tossing Vivi back towards the crab. Being tossed around in the wild while dangling on the hook like a frantic fish, the pirate captain shouted back towards his crew, "You guys go on ahead! I'll be fine!"


	39. The Beatdown

Well, first off a thanks to reviewer 18KmPerHour! I hope you like this next chapter!

Also while mid-writing part of the fight, I realized that part of the fight scene felt like a yaoi... xD Unintentional but I decided to keep it as I wrote since I found it highly amusing and I was in a crude humor mood

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 39: The Beatdown**

Luffy's grins made Vivi feel worse but his next words inspired both fear and hope within her. "Make sure you get Vivi to the palace!"

Zoro nodded in understanding as he understood his captain completely. Turning to their furry doctor, he shouted, "Tell the crab to go straight to Alubarna."

Chopper nodded as the crew's sniper stood up in protest. "Are we really leaving Luffy to his mercy?"

Vivi crawled to the edge of the top of the crab. "Luffy-san!"

Nami restrained the frantic princess and pulled Vivi back next to her. "He'll be fine. Personally, I'd feel more sorry for whoever he fought. Not a single person who fought Luffy got away safely."

Zoro nodded and chipped in, "You understand? He will stop Crocodile." He gave the princess a hard look as he continued, "You realize you are the country's hope and that means you MUST stay alive or the country is finished. Our lives don't matter compared to yours."

Sanji put a comforting hand on Vivi's shoulder. "You left this country a while ago to infiltrate an organization to protect the country you love. But realize now that you are not alone."

Vivi smiled as she put her hands to her mouth to make her shouts loud and audible. "Luffy-san! We'll be waiting for you in Alubarna!"

The Straw Hat captain grinned as he noticed Crocodile and Miss All Sunday coming close to him. "Hehe, the princess escaped us," the raven haired female chuckled.

Crocodile shrugged and was not concerned in the slightest. "The agents should be done with their duties soon." Focusing his attention onto the lanky youth before him, the Shichibukai growled angrily at him. "Your games in this country have gone on far too long, Straw Hat Luffy."

Luffy brushed the sand off his hat as he was not intimidated. "Vivi is admirable. Weak but tries to save everything," a grin crossed his face when he thought more on it. "Reminds me of my big sis before she had to make herself stronger. Both won't leave issues alone and are in pain but different pain. Vivi's pain is that she wants to end the rebellion without anyone dying."

Crocodile scoffed at the princess's wishes. "People simply do not completely survive a rebellion. Dying will happen and those that believe that don't know what a true battle is."

Luffy nodded as he looked sternly at the tall man before him. "I agree but…" He stood up and brushed some sand off of himself. "Andy learned what a true battle is like and I can tell that she's stronger cause of it. Someone helped her and my crew will be what helps Vivi become strong and learn what a true battle is like without the suffering. You being in this country causes it to suffer and she will fight you even with her dying breath. I'm going to stop you."

Crocodile cracked up at the brave display in front of him. "So ridiculous. You're beyond your element and will serve as an example to the others who will conspire. Hundreds like you were left in the dust."

Luffy snorted at Crocodile's confidence. "Yet my sister who can't fight well was able to escape. Guess that makes you really stupid."

A thin grin cracked Miss All Sunday's calm façade and she could not help but giggle despite her dislike of the Straw Hat's captain's sister. Crocodile however was unamused at his partner's laughter. "What's so funny? Do you want to die as well, Nico Robin?"

She tilted her head in amusement as she surveyed her partner. "You do what you want when you feel like it." She began to walk away and shrugged as she remembered something. "You also promised to not call me by that name."

The male Shichibukai scowled as the brunette walked off without any manners. "Where are you going?"

Giggling, the raven haired woman looked back for a second. "Just moving ahead to Alubarna."

Crocodile sighed as he threw an hourglass at Straw Hat Luffy's feet. "Why are women so crazy?" he muttered before turning his gaze onto the pirate before him. "You get three minutes of my time but more than that I will not waste on the likes of you. I hope that won't be a problem for you."

Luffy snorted. _As if Croccy cares. _"Fine by me," he muttered as he planted his feet firmly and faced the Shichibukai. Quickly he used his Gum Gum Pistol attack but Crocodile dodged it by slightly moving his head and turned himself into grains of sand to begin his counterattack. He lashed at Luffy's throat, attempted to clothesline him with his hooked hand but the springy pirate leaned backwards to dodge the attack which impressed the elder pirate. Using the power of his rubber fruit, Luffy attempted to kick the sand man with his feet which caused the man's body to burst into sand.

Crocodile reformed his body in front of him and smirked. "Amazing how you act like your sister is the weaker one but yet she could actually hit me."

Luffy's eyes hardened dangerously as he charged. "Don't talk about my sister, you bastard!" he screamed at him angrily.

Snorting, the final bits of sand were about to reform into Crocodile. "Let me tell you one thing, Straw Hat Luffy. No matter how much you struggle, you will never ever…"

"Gum Gum Gatling!" the younger man shouted as he began to pummel the sandy man in front of him. Crocodile looked amused as he stood there with holes in his body made by the younger man's fists. "You're a sand monster…"

"Listen, Straw Hat Luffy," Crocodile scolded as if addressing a child. "Those wimpy attacks are useless against me because you will never…"

"Bazooka!" Luffy screamed as he slammed his hands into the Shichibukai's abdomen with great power. Without missing a beat, Luffy extended his leg outwards above him to bring down onto the cocky man. "Axe!" After the dust from the fight cleared, Luffy looked around in confusion before stomping on the sand below him. "What the…? Did I crush you? Stupid sand gator!"

Sand swirled ominously as Crocodile reformed behind the young pirate. "I already told you, that won't work no matter how hard you fight, rubber man."

"Sandy asshole!" Luffy snarled as he punched Crocodile straight in the face but yet, he still stood there and he looked at the pirate before him with interest.

"Why don't we stop playing around, Straw Hat Luffy?" he chuckled with great amusement that only became more prominent as he saw the captain's increasing anger.

"I've been fighting seriously this whole time!" he shouted in annoyance as he tried to pretend he was his sister and think logically. "Dammit… he keeps dissolving. How do I fight someone like that?"

Crocodile put his hand behind him and Luffy noticing part of it turn into sand. "You and I are pirates in two completely different leagues." He whipped his hand down quickly towards the younger pirate. "Desert Spada!" At first, Luffy was going to stay put and take the brunt of the blow until he noticed a rock in the path become cut clean into two and as a result, he just barely leapt out of the way. To his irritation however, Crocodile only became more amused. "Good eye. Imagine what would have happened if that hit you."

Luffy looked at where Crocodile had struck and was horrified to see the results. "The desert is cut in half!"

Holding his hand in front of him as he watched the gently swirling sand, Crocodile smirked at the rubbery pirate. "Depending on how you use and train your powers, they can be very strong in a fight. I'm not an idiot content to merely have a power and hence, I honed my powers to perfection. You will wish you never opposed me. Desert Girasole!" he shouted as he wanted to give Luffy no time to dodge the sinking sands of his attack.

The young captain as horrified as the desert was acting as a pit that was attempting to suck him into it. "What the hell?" he shouted in protest as he was attempted to escape the situation. "I'm being sucked down by the sand!"

Laughing loudly, Crocodile motioned towards the land in amusement. "Ever heard of quicksand? A most convenient coffin without a need for a grave. The sand drags itself into an underground river that my powers can detect. No living thing can compete with me in the desert," he proclaimed with great confidence as he turned his back on the Straw Hat captain.

Angrily flailing his arms, Luffy prepared himself. "Like hell I'm going to be buried alive. You're going down! Gum Gum Bazooka!" The young, spry pirate cleverly used his rubber powers on the sand to propel himself out of a sandy grave. "If I can't punch you, I'll just catch you. Gum Gum Net!" Luffy's fingers wove themselves into a makeshift, rubbery net around the once bemused and now annoyed Shichibukai.

Pushing the net away effortlessly with an armful of sand, he scowled at the young, airborne pirate. "Are you stupid? It's impossible to…"

"Gum Gum Whip!" Luffy interrupted Crocodile by whipping the man with his leg just for the split in two sandman to roll his eyese.

"Repeating the same song and dance again?" Luffy was mildly freaked out by how Crocodile could talk with a split in half face but he had no chance to retaliate against the next attack. "Barchan!" Luffy collided roughly with the sand that surrounded the Shichibukai's arm.

Luffy hit the sand below him hard as a powerful, unfamiliar pain surged through his arm. Turning to look, he was horrified. "My arm! It's like a mummy's! You turned my arm into a mummy!" he hollered in shock.

Crocodile smirked as he looked at the ignorant pirate. "You were surrounded by my sand and I sucked the water out of your arm." He glanced at the slender pirate before him as an even wider grin came over him. "I should kill you by sucking all the water out of your body to give you a taste of the desert."

"Enough of this shit," Luffy muttered weakly as he dashed to his supplies that were pushed aside when the fight started. Drinking the water, his arm immediately resumed its prior size and bulk which only caused the Shichibukai to roll his eyes.

"That's stupid," he muttered as he saw the Straw Hat drink as if his life depended on it.

"Shut your face!" the youth yelled as he held the water as if it was a precious treasure. "My sis and the old guy in Yuba dug up this water all night and the old guy said Yuba will never be defeated by measly sand!" Without warning, he put down the water and charged the sandy Logia again. "Gum Gum…"

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the Paramecia skeptically. "You're still trying?"

"CHOMP!" Luffy bit off Crocodile's head and tried to keep him in his mouth but the now extremely irate and murderous man was fed up.

"Enough of this bullshit!" he shouted as he forced himself out of the rubber man's body. His homicidal countenance was even harder. "Prepare to die along with the fertile soil of Yuba." He glanced to the hourglass which had gotten shifted in the battle. "Your three minutes are up."

"What?" Luffy asked in confusion as he was still trying to get sand out of his mouth.

"I told you I only had three minutes to play with you," Crocodile murmured softly as he prepared his attack.

"But I like going for more than three minutes!" Luffy protested and upon hearing his turn of phrase, Crocodile shook his head.

"Fuck it." Sand swirled dangerously around them. "Sables!" He chuckled as he noticed the younger pirate struggling with the sand whipping around the both of them. "Ahhh. The sand is nice and especially dry today," he proclaimed serenely.

* * *

-Meanwhile in Rainbase-

* * *

"Smoker-san? That's in the direction that you said Andrea-san and the Straw Hats went to yes?" Smoker nodded at Tashigi who looked worried for her fellow female Marine and while he would rather choke on a cigar than admit it, he also was concerned as he saw the rather dangerous sandstorm.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi turned to look at Rainbase as she felt something was wrong. "There's a sandstorm above Rainbase…" She trembled as she realized what it was. "It's him…"

* * *

-Meanwhile at Luffy & Crocodile's Fight!-

* * *

"I know the way the winds are here, Straw Hat Luffy. If a sandstorm rides a south going wind and grows even larger, where do you think it'll hit when it's nice and mature?"

"South?" Luffy was confused and worried as Crocodile's menacing grin lengthened.

"To Yuba," he muttered as if commenting on the weather, which in a twisted way, he was.

Luffy's fears being confirmed, he shook Crocodile in annoyance. "What the hell? Cut it out!"

"Oh look, the south wind is stroking it larger," he happily babbled as he watched the sand twirl even more chaotically.

"That old man has nothing to do with this!" Luffy proclaimed as he ran towards the storm.

Crocodile chuckled and turned away. "Once this storm grows big enough, even I won't be able to stop it. Yuba's done for."

"Stop this damn storm!" Luffy screamed up close and personal into Crocodile's space. Stop it right no…" Luffy sputtered as blood dripped out of his mouth and looked downwards in horror to see Crocodile's hook pierce his body.

"Who do you think I am? There are plenty of rookies like you, Straw Hat Luffy, who are just talk. Occasionally we see someone moderately clever like your Marine sister but it's only a matter of time." The young pirate's eyes widened in worry but he could not move at all. "In case you forgot, you're in the Grand Line."


	40. Feeling of Weakness

I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter and as always, thanks to 18KmPerHour for your review!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 40: Feeling of Weakness**

Nami stared at the green haired swordsman in a mixture of annoyance and resignation as he was treating his sword as if it was the bar of a weight. An orange eyebrow twitched as she turned around to hear the sniper of the Straw Hats tell even more tall tales. "And at that precise moment, I turned and said, you bowlegged freak! And ever since then, all crabs realized how bowlegged they are!"

Chopper's eyes sparkled in wonder. "Wow! So that's why they walk sideways!"

Nami rolled her eyes as she turned her gaze back to the swordsman. "Zoro, you're just wasting energy."

His grip tightened on the sheath of the sword as he glared at the navigator. "Shut up."

Usopp's arms waved around enthusiastically. "There was also a guy jumping around behind him. That's a lobster."

Chopper's jaw dropped in shock. "So lobsters and crabs?" Usopp nodded in confidence as Sanji shook his head while taking a deep drag on his cigarette.

"Leave them be, my beautiful Nami-swaaan." He looked disdainfully at the other men on the crab. "They need to occupy their tiny brains. So unskilled especially that stupid moss head. He just knows his weakness compared to that Shichibukai."

The slightly tanned swordsman glared at the snarky chef. "What you saying? Out with it."

The blond looked at Zoro with contempt in his visible eye. "Fine, I'll outright say it. You're scared Luffy actually lost."

Chortling in disbelief, Zoro responded, "Me afraid? You, stupid dart brow!"

Crushing his cigarette in his teeth with anger, Sanji stood in front of Zoro. "Now you've got me pissed, shitty marimo."

"What?!" The first mate roared with rage. "You wanna fig…"

The navigator behind them hit both of their heads with her fists. "Stop the idiotic fighting."

Vivi stood up bravely as she addressed the pirates. "It's ok everybody! Luffy-san won't lose." Stress was visible on her brow as she began to sweat profusely. "He promised us after all. We get to see him in Alubarna."

Usopp gasped dramatically as he pointed at the bluenette. "You're the most worried about him!"

Nami flicked the princess harmlessly on the forehead. "Just worry about the rebellion." Zoro and Sanji were about to fight again when Nami patted the traveling crab below them happily. "Let's go Scissors!"

Zoro sighed. "I can't believe she just named it that…"

-Meanwhile Outside of Rainbase-

"Yuba will die. My sandstorm will ensure that and the wind will fan the flames of hatred for the royalty of this country." Twisting the hook painfully inside the Straw Hat pirate capatain's guts, the Shichibukai chuckled. "Succumbing to your weaker emotions is your…" he paused as he noticed the younger pirate mutter weakly.

"Water…"

Scoffing, he moved the hook slightly on Luffy's stomach. "Even water won't help you now." He saw water drip onto his arm and looked at the captain. "You're actually alive…" He threw the rubberman into the sand. "Oh don't worry about your intense pain. It'll be over soon." He walked away with great amusement towards Alubarna. "Good bye. Pity this was such a waste of time."

* * *

-Meanwhile in Rainbase-

* * *

"You're heading to Alubarna," the smoke fruit user muttered to Tashigi.

"To follow the Straw Hats, help the army or…?"

"You can decide when you get there. Keep in mind the information that Andrea-san told us. I trust your sense of justice and will take any flak." Tashigi looked confused as she saw Smoker's unusual attitude.

"Where are you going Smoker-san?"

He shrugged as he looked at his trusted companion. "Urgent business. Make sure to keep communication open." He sighed as he looked around the city. "Keep an eye on Alabasta carefully. It might survive or collapse but we got to resolve this situation before an Admiral ends up over here."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The sandstorm dissipated but Crocodile and Luffy had not noticed in the aftermath in their fight. Walking in the desert, Andrea cradled her right arm as the sand had scrapped her arm rather painfully similarly to sandpaper and her skimpy outfit had not helped matters near enough. The Marine jacket had not protected her body as much as she had hoped and was now splattered by the blood that dripped off her arm and palm which did not appreciate how much strain she had put it through to subvert the storm. It was not long however before she heard a familiar, pained voice ring out through the desert. "Meeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

Andrea's heart sank as she ran towards the voice and saw some of her little brother's supplies on the ground untouched but as she glanced a little away, what she noticed made her blood boil. Miss All Sunday stood above her brother, holding his precious straw hat. "Get away from my brother, harlot!" she shrieked as she charged the cowgirl styled woman.

The brunette rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms forcing the Marine to her knees by restraining her legs. "Your brother is quite the fighter, Andrea-san. What is it about those with the name of D. that make them so stubborn?"

Despite the blood running down her arm and the oozing out of her palm, Andrea giggled as she glared at her fellow dark haired woman. "There is more to the D.'s than you realize, Nico Robin." The worn out Marine fell next to her brother as weariness overtook her body. "I'm too tired to care about you being here but…" she held her brother's arm with her left hand. "Thanks for helping my baby brother."

Luffy propped himself up as Andrea collapsed, overtaken by exhaustion and her narcolepsy kicking in. "You aren't going to fight us?"

The flower user shrugged as she glanced at the siblings. "As antagonistic as your sister can be, Captain-san, she is interesting. If I'm not mistaken or too intrusive, I assume she is a fellow D.?"

Before Luffy could answer his fellow Paramecia, a pale man had made his way to their location. "What happened to Vivi-sama?"

Miss All Sunday clapped her hands in amusement. "Oh you're awake."

Pell coughed as he looked at the collapsed Marine and weakened pirate. "I understand the nature of your powers and won't be taken so easily."

Robin giggled at the Zoan who had attempted to charge her but stumbled over his prior injuries. "Fighting me will just result in more injuries." Waving her hand towards the siblings, she smiled a million watt grin at the Alabastian. "Why don't you save those two? He's a brave, gallant pirate who escorted your princess and she's a connected Marine who saved the town of Yuba from even more disaster." Robin turned away before heading towards a modified bananadile. "Vivi has been able to escape Crocodile and is on her way to Alubarna. I don't know what will happen now but you know what trouble this country is in."

Pell fell to his knees as he looked at the retreating bananadile but before he could mope any more, Luffy had grabbed his arm with a surprising amount of strength. "Hey… why is she riding a banana?"

* * *

-Meanwhile in Yuba-

* * *

Mr. Toto stood proudly at the water he had dug out of the dried out oasis. "Heh! I told those kids that Yuba would not be defeated by mere sand!"


	41. Animals

Thanks as always to 18KmPerHour for your review :)

This chapter has no direct instance of Luffy or Andrea but slight mentions

Everyone enjoy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 41: Animals**

"What do you mean this damn crab can't cross water?!" Usopp shrieked while Nami sighed with her face in her hands.

Zoro was still exercising despite the facepalm while the Alabasta princess explained, "Moving crabs only travel on the sand cause they can't stand water."

Usopp's eyes bulged as he pointed at the crab. "But it's a damn crab!" For emphasis on their plight, the sniper even pulled out a map of Alabasta. "It would take a day for us to float across and there's still lots of distance between the river and Alubarna. We're stuck on foot if the crab won't cross." Frantic tears leaked from his eyes as he pointed ahead, "There's no way we can make it."

Sanji tapped at the crab below him with his foot in annoyance. "Do something, Scissors!"

Chopper stood up happily as he remembered something, "Scissors loves dancers!" Nami stood up and as stated, the crab's eyes turned around to focus on her. Nami tilted her head to the side cutely and Zoro rolled his eyes seeing the lovestruck looks of the crab, camel, and chef.

"Nami-swaaaaan!" Sanji cooed happily and pointed across the water. "See the power of love!"

Zoro whacked the horny chef's head with his hand. "You had to addle two more animals with your witchery."

"Holy crab…" Sanji muttered as he was too amazed by the crab zooming across the water quickly to fight with the swordsman.

"He's running on water!" The sniper exclaimed in delight but to their dismay, the crab began to sink.

"It's just your imagination," Zoro groaned as he grabbed Chopper carefully to prevent the little Zoan user from sinking as a result of his Devil Fruit. "Now stop complaining and move your asses."

Usopp choked on his words as he turned to Vivi and pointed at the giant fish ahead of them. The princess gulped as she forgot to explain this critter. "That's a Sandora Rarecat Fish. It's incredibly rare!"

Nami pointed at the fish in disdain. "That's not important!"

Vivi began to swim away in fear, "It also likes to eat humans!"

Usopp's eyes began to tear as he tried his best to swim away. "Why didn't you say that first?"

Before any of them could be injured however, to the crew and the princess's delight, the Kung Fu Dewgongs that Luffy had beat up earlier came to their rescue. Chopper went up to the critters and delightfully translated, "We can't allow fellow students perish."

Usopp tilted his head in confusion. "But we aren't Luffy's students," he stammered as he climbed onto the unconscious fish that the dewgongs starts to drag across. "But I suppose we're alive…"

Although it took a bit for them to cross, Vivi happily waved to the critters that helped them with gratitude while the Straw Hat's first mate looked at them. "Think we can make it in time?"

Vivi waved a hand towards the camel. "I'm not sure and Eyelashes only can carry two people…"

Usopp flailed around in panic. "How can we travel as a whole group?"

Nami's sharp eyes caught something on the horizon but she could scarcely believe it. "Over there! Is that a bunch of ducks?"

* * *

-A little later-

* * *

Mr.2 was crowing happily about his abilities while Miss Doublefinger coughed softly. "I would like to get this over with. It would be rather nice," the sultry woman murmured while Mr. 1 stared with boredom at the loud, lower members.

Miss Merry Christmas grinned rather maliciously at her partner and disdainfully at her superior officers. "All we have to do is get rid of this Vivi after all." She groaned as she looked out at her fellow members. "At this rate, those rebels will get here. I thought those pirates were going to try to stop them."

Mr. 1 snorted as he rolled his shoulder. "Likely won't make it in time. Look how long they were in Rainbase."

Mr. 4 looked out carefully and mumbled, "Theyyyyy'reee commmiing!"

His partner looked at him rather skeptically. "Are you certain?"

Mr. 2 stopped his twirling and stilled. "What do we do if the fighting starts first? I hate acquiring unnecessary faces and that brunette gave me a chill to copy her appearance."

Miss Doublefinger rolled her eyes as she blew some smoke, "We don't do anything. If the battle really starts, the princess can't stop it."

Mr. 1 nodded in agreement with his partner. "We just kill who we need to kill." Smirking, he looked at Mr. 2 with contempt. "Can't okamas understand even that?"

Drawing himself up to his full height, the okama looked down at the higher ranking agent while raising a hairy leg in the air. "I think you need a nice, big taste of my okama kempo."

Miss Doublefinger took a drag and swayed her hips dramatically to the side. "Oh stop it, you two."

All the stress caused Miss Merry Christmas's back to cramp up. "My baack! It hurts! Mr. 4, massage now!" The slow man pointed dramatically but due to his lack of intelligence, was unable to convey the message he intended before his partner got even angrier. "Spit it out already, you stupid sloth." She snatched the pair of binoculars away from her partner and was surprised. "Ducks?"

Miss Doublefinger looked rather confused and displeased at the news, "Explain what you mean by ducks?"

"Well… there's six ducks and if Straw Hat is defeated, even if his sister is still at large, that's too many ducks for too few people."

Miss Doublefinger scoffed as she looked towards where her subordinate was looking. "Didn't you listen to the boss? There's Mr. Prince and possibly other people including the Straw Hat's sister so the numbers could work out."

Mr. 1 shrugged as he considered his partner's words. "Regardless of how many of these people are on the ducks, our target is still the same: the princess."

Miss Merry Christmas glanced at the binoculars again and looked back towards her fellow Baroque Works members. "Mr. 1, if all we have to do is get rid of the princess… I don't know which one she is."

The okama dancer flipped out and pointed dramatically. "They are all wearing the same cape."

The café owner looked with interest at the ducks. "It's Alabasta's Super Spotbilled Duck Squad. They are the quickest."

Mr. 2 cried dramatically, "They are more ambiguous than me! How can we find Vivi?"

Whacking her partner, Miss Merry Christmas shrieked, "Take care of them, Mr. 4!"

Pulling out a bazooka, the Baroque Works member shot out a baseball that exploded but to their charign, the duck squad had avoided the explosion and split up. The okama sighed and wavered, "Those ducks are too fast!"

Two of the ducks had started to head to the south. This detail was not missed by Miss Merry Christmas. "The rebels are around the south so one of those two must be Vivi." She looked confidently at her superiors. "Leave those two to us. Let's go Mr. 4!"

Mr. 1 pushed away an attack that came out of what looked like a slingshot in annoyance. Miss Doublefinger looked relatively unconcerned however. "Two more split off to go into the west gate. If they all go in different gates, we'll just kill them all."

The strongest duo had rushed in after those two while the okama had chased the two ducks heading to the southwest gate but sadly to each of the Baroque Works agents sadness, none of them had found Princess Vivi. Mr. 2 had pointed dramatically as he realized who was in front of him. "A camel and you Mr. Longnose." Usopp held onto Eyelashes tightly in fear as the camel looked rather faint.

Zoro was standing his ground and to his annoyance, he heard Nami's cheering. "Beat them up, Zoro!"

"Shut up!" the green haired swordsman scowled while carefully eyeing his opponents.

Chopper giggled as he stood with Sanji while staring down the Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas duo. "Well no more rebellion!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi shook slightly as Carue looked at her anxiously. She stood in front of the rebels and began to shout, "Stop please rebels! This fight is a set up!" However, a straw shot from the city blocked the rebels view of Vivi and she sighed before preparing for another shout. "Please stop, leader!"

Kohza slightly hesitated as he ordered his men through the dust cloud. "Must have just been my imagination…" He rode past the princess without realizing she was there and his men, also unknowing of the bluenette, rode on and almost trampled the princess but Carue had protected Vivi. She saw her bruised and battered duck friend and although sadness tinged at her soul, she knew her duty and what she had to do.

To her joy, Usopp rode up in a horse next to her. "Come with me, Vivi-chan."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sanji looked at Eyelashes and Usopp, who were covered with bumps. "What happened to you two?"

Usopp held up one figure with broken pride. "The decoy part of the plan worked but… he spent two seconds to beat us… one each."

Sanji chewed on his cigarette as he realized what happened. "So now Vivi-chan is in danger…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi looked at the bandage on Usopp's arm suspiciously as the way he was treating Carue was rather out of character. Vivi lept on her faithful duck and took off while Mr. 2 sighed upon realizing his cover was blown. "Okama-daaaaaaaash! You won't get away from me!"

The man chased Vivi and Carue back to Alubarna and when confronted with the walls, Carue had done the unlikely and dashed up the steep cliff but he allowed the princess's relief to be short lived as he proclaimed that nothing was impossible for an okama and proceeded to follow them up. Vivi's duck companion however was insistent to not stop or let her down and even a gunshot did not stop the faithful duck. Mr. 2 however did catch up and attempted to beat up the duck but was stopped by Carue's fellow ducks. Vivi looked fearfully at the ducks as she feared what the okama would do but a familiar voice brought her relief. "We can still stop them, Vivi-chan. Good job Carue."

The duck had quacked weakly while Vivi looked to see Sanji smile back at her. "Sanji-san…"

Sanji dusted off some dirt off his suit as he stared confidently at the okama. "I'll take on the he-she for you." Both men glared at each other and had their legs prepped for a kick.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Usopp had caught up to Chopper and checked over his wounds worriedly when the medic's words worried the sniper even more. "The Mr. 4 pair are still around here… be careful." A few pillars collapsed as the ground rumbled. "Oh and they have a dog too."

Usopp chewed his lip in concern but took a deep breath before proclaiming to the pair, "I am Captain Usopp and we will not lose, Chopper!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kohza had shouted to his troops despite his injury but something still bugged him. The haunting voice from outside Alabasta telling him that the fight was a set up as well as that woman's unusual words at his camp before made him fear that he was fighting a false fight but his beliefs and the beliefs of his men could and should not be so easily dismissed.


	42. Despite the Odds

Thanks to 18KmPerHour for your review :) This chapter is sort of similar to being a transitional chapter like the last one but I attempted to make up for it with more fighting and length :o

Everybody enjoy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 42: Despite the Odds**

The bluenette ignored the shouts and complaints of the soldiers for she knew that they were panicked and well meaning. One not so ignorant one however recognized her. "Princess Vivi?"

The princess wiped some of the dirt and grime of battle off her face as she looked sternly at the soldiers before her. "Take me to Chaka. I need to have him do something."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sanji scowled as he took a pretty, powdered foot to the face while he dug his black shoed foot into the okama's face. "Shitty, weirdly dressed bastard," the chef muttered as he stood up after taking the blow.

Mr. 2 looked down at his dirtied outfit and groaned, "What kind of kick is able to stand up to my fighting?" He pointed while leaning backwards as he twirled, "Move outta of myyyyyyyyy waaaaaaaaaaaaay," he crowed confidently.

Sanji laughed as puffed out his chest proudly. "You have to defeat me to get past me."

The okama smirked as he posed prettily. "Good luck beating my okama kenpo as I've trained long and hard for fighting."

Sanji flinched momentarily as he strategized against the cross dresser. _I need to beat him in one strike._ The chef constantly struck and was annoyed to see the okama block his attacks. "Mutton Shot!" The Baroque Works agent barely countered and the impact pushed both of them apart. "Damn this shitty okama. Not even my Mutton Shot could stop him."

Similarly, Mr. 2 was displeased with the results. "My okama kenpo isn't stopping that loser. We need to stooooooooooooop jokkkkkiiiiiinng around!" An idea struck him as he stomped down in determination. "I'm going to be serious now."

Sanji rolled his eye at the dramatics. "Just bring it on, shitty okama."

Mr. 2 looked affronted at the chef's rudeness. "You don't understand the full extent of my Devil Fruit do you? With my photographic memory…" his face began to warp rather crazily as Sanji watched, partially in interest and partially in repulsion. "And prepare for the performance of the world's funniest face!"

Sanji coughed to cover up a weak laugh. "Most of that was your own shitty face." At the chef's cruel words, the okama pulled out a mirror out of nowhere to look at the face in sadness. Rolling his eyes, he kicked Mr. 2 as he was now wide open. "Your show is boring," he muttered in contempt as he watched the okama force himself off the ground but the okama touched his own face to change his image to be similar to the Straw Hat's sniper but to his sorrow, he was still kicked in the face.

"This face is your friend's! What do you think your friends are if you do that?" Mr. 2 wailed as he took in Sanji's calculating look.

Sanji pointed at his heart as he proclaimed, "People and friendship is about heart, not appearances."

Smirking, the okama had an idea as he changed his face. First he took the appearance of a brunette with long hair and a cold look: the Straw Hat's sister and he was somewhat amused to see the chef make loving eyes at 'her' but with hidden caution. Mentally filing that in his head, he changed his face to match that of the female navigator and saw the loving expression full force on the chef's face but without any of the reservation he held when the okama took the face of the brunette. Mr. 2 rolled his eyes._ Too easy to beat this one._

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Chaka stared at Vivi's orders and his heart sank. "We need to destroy the palance," the bluenette urged him. All the dark haired man could do was look at the princess's wounds and his throat tightened in worry and sadness.

Despite his soldiers protests and demands, Chaka knew his duty and what would and would not help Alabasta. "We need to do as the princess bids," he murmured in reverence as he got down on one knee to bow to him." In the hustle and bustle that ensued after his orders, the captain of the guard looked down proudly at the princess. "You gained such an independent personality in the two years you were gone. Are you going to give those pirates a big feast?"

Vivi smiled but before she could say anything, she spotted a familiar figure and her heart froze seeing the sandy Shichibukai staring down at her. "This palace is a good place to watch you lose everything, Miss Wednesday," the cocky man murmured as he smirked down at her.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nami was rushing away from the duo of Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger as she mourned the fact that the green haired swordsman was absolutely hopeless when it came to his sense of direction. "Where did that stupid swordsman go?" she shrieked as she looked back and saw the dark haired female overdramatically saunter after her while her partner merely walked calmly.

Mr. 1 tilted his head as he massaged his neck while continuing the pursuit of the orange haired navigator. "Rule one of assassins: always start with the weaklings."

His partner smirked as she observed her fellow female. "Let's show you how the pros do it," she purred at Nami.

Before Nami could get caught by Mr. 1, Zoro had found her and blocked with his swords. Nami shrieked seeing the pillar behind them split and the swordsman glared at the Baroque Works officer before him. "That looks like the work of a sword," he murmured as he smirked realizing what that implied.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Nami was begging Usopp to create her a weapon and the sniper looked at her skeptically. "I'm not a fighter but I have style and am cute." Usopp facepalmed at the navigator's bragging but did admit she was rather cute mentally of course. "But I want to be able to depend on myself and not let everyone down especially with a situation like this." Nami glanced to see Usopp have a small smile grace his face. "For Vivi, I want to be able to put all my effort into fighting. Do you understand me?"

Usopp looked at her critically before looking at his supplies around him. "You realize we're not that far from Alubarna…"

The woman sighed as she walked towards the door. "You're right… there isn't enough time for me to get that strong with such limitations. I apologize for making such an impossible request," she stammered but before she could leave, her long nosed crewmate laughed.

"You're implying there is something I can't accomplish?" Nami's heart swelled as she hugged the sniper enthusiastically and even pecked him on the cheek.

After stroking his ego and ensuring him that she had faith in his abilities, she left the room but was stopped by a calm, soft voice. "You really care about helping Vivi-sama don't you, Nami-san?"

Nami turned around to see Andrea lounging against the wall in boredom. She decided to sit next to her and chat for a bit. "It's hard to not want to help Vivi when she speaks with such passion. Do you disagree?"

Andrea chuckled as she swirled a cup of sake in front of her. "I understand what it is like to protect something precious to you." Sipping slowly, she placed the empty cup in front of her. "If anything threatened my brothers, I don't know what I'd do but I'd do it in a heartbeat," the proud sister declared. Nami smiled as she placed a hand on her shoulder comforting the Marine. Taking strength from the gesture, she continued. "Remember you are strong, Nami-san. You have faith in that weapon being made for you as Usopp-san has faith in you using it correctly. Kick some ass," she winked at the navigator before standing to take her empty sake cup and bottle to the kitchen. The slight shaking of her right arm did not escape anyone's notice however.

Nami watched the Marine go and smiled softly. _Despite her obvious pain, she's still willing to do what it takes._

* * *

-End Flashback-

* * *

Nami stared down at her Climatact and bit her lip in fear. _I can't just run and hide. I need to fight to help Vivi protect her country._Standing up, the navigator loudly declared, "I'm sure if it's only that woman, I can face her!" But to her dismay, spikes pierced her from behind the wall she was leaning against. The smirking Baroque Works agent sauntered as she had pierced a hole in the wall and looked down at the navigator with great amusement.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Miss All Sunday crossed her arms as she used her Devil Fruit to prevent the royal soldiers from interrupting the epic moment about to happen. Crocodile chuckled as he saw Vivi's inner turmoil so blatantly displayed. "You only got as far as you did due to those pirates and that lone Marine."

Scowling, Vivi pointed angrily at the Shichibukai. "Where is Luffy and why are you here?"

Puffing on his cigar in amusement, he stared down the princess. "What if I told you he's no longer in the realm of the living?"

Vivi's eyes widened as she retaliated fiercely, "Liar! He can't be killed by the likes of you!"

Crocodile rolled his eye at the naivety. "I don't care if you believe it or not. It's logical that once the kingdom is destroyed, the royal family will disintegrate." He turned towards the king who he had pinned onto the wall like a morbid puppet. Vivi winced at the harsh tone the Shichibukai used when addressing her father. "Before you give up your throne, I need to know something. Where is the Pluton?"

Vivi had a blank look on her face while Miss All Sunday and Chaka had surprised yet anxious looks on theirs. The king was shocked as he looked at the tall man in fear. "How do you know that name?"

The dark sneer that crossed Crocodile's face put shivers into Vivi as he continued to address her father. "Just using Pluton once can destroy an island. It has the name of a god, which means it's an evil weapon that supposedly sleeps within this country. My purpose is to own it while I'm here and build the strongest military."

Vivi gasped as she contemplated the situation. "A weapon like that here?"

Chaka looked between the two royals thoughtfully. _I'd say this is something passed down the crown but VIvi looks unaware._

Crocodile ignored the musings of the others while he continued, "When I'm king of the pirates, making those other pirates my slaves will be easy and soon my utopia will become a reality."

Cobra scowled at the overconfident Shichibukai. "Are you really so ignorant to believe the World Government will just allow this?"

Shrugging off the anger, he calmly replied, "Why do you think I need a bigger military force?"

Cobra stared into Crocodile's eyes with an intense dislike. "I don't know where you heard of Pluton but I have no idea where it is or even if it truly exists."

Smiling eerily calmly at the king, the tall man intoned, "I know the value of it existing is dubious but soon a powerful cannon will aim here and will blast all this away. Things will look quite different." He gave a smile to the Alabastians around him. "You should be grateful since you were trying to stop the rebels anyway." Seeing the king weaken, the Shichibukai knew he could now coerce him to reveal the true history.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sanji had put the bandaged Usopp on top of Eyelashes's hump while Chopper was sitting happily on the camel's head. "What's up with your crying?" the chef asked the sniper but the tears only came more.

"That woman said Luffy was dead!" he sobbed but Sanji rolled his eyes at their worry.

"You actually believe that? Let's worry about everything else after this war," he muttered in annoyance as he escorted the creatures and injured sniper into the town.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Quite the unlikely sight awaited Vivi as she tore her eyes away from Crocodile's hook that he had buried into the body of Chaka to stop his attack. "Kohza! It is you!" Vivi exclaimed in shock.

Seeing the rebel leader, Crocodile threw the dog fruit user onto the ground as he worried about his plans being foiled yet again. "That's Chaka… and with the king here in such a state. Odd isn't it that the king of the country would be nearly killed by the hero?"


	43. Losing It

Whooo! Another favorite & follow. Many thanks!

And as always, I appreciate your reviews 18KmPerHour - even if you might post them on the wrong chapter :p

The fights will get tougher and the drama even more!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 43: Losing It**

"So hilarious," Crocodile cracked up as he observed the effect that having Kohza in front of Vivi had done. "Such a problematic time for both forces and yet I didn't expect you to show up here. This war is like a fight between headless lizards."

Kohza scowled as he took in the injuries that both Vivi and her father had. "I had my suspicions about the recent events and this seems to confirm it but yet…"

Miss All Sunday chuckled behind her hand as she glanced at the rebel leader's wariness. "You seem troubled so I'll simplify this for you. Imagine the worst possible situation you could be in and there you go."

Vivi gulped as she turned to her childhood friend with hope in her eyes. "Listen to me Kohza. The person who did all these horrible things and took the water away from our country…"

"Is me," the Shichibukai proudly grinned at the horrified look on the youth's face. "Everything you believed the king did, Kohza, was traps I had my company set up. This was a rather amusing game for the past two years even with the royal family trying their hardest to stop it." His grin grew wider as he saw the broken look on the rebel's face. "You would have died easier if you didn't know," he chuckled sinisterly.

"Don't listen to him Kohza!" The king wailed as pain wracked his body. He looked sternly yet kindly on his daughter's childhood friend. "Leave here now and save as many as you can."

"Within thirty minutes, the palace square will be blown up," sputtered the injured Chaka in his Zoan form.

Kohza could scarcely believe his ears. "What did you say?" the rebel demanded partially in shock and partially in rage.

Crocodile rolled his eyes at the dramatics before stepping on Chaka in irritation. "Honestly, you are still alive?"

Kohza understood and was starting to dash off when he was tackled and pinned by a blue haired princess. "Vivi, what do you think you're doing? The square will turn into a battlefield if you don't let me go."

The princess pushed her friend even more firmly down. "We won't allow that but if the army finds out that the square will blow up, there will be chaos. Then no one can stop the war or be saved."

Crocodile smirked around his cigar at hearing her words. "Good judgment, Miss Wednesday."

Vivi pleaded with Kohza, "Do the obvious right thing: stop this rebellion! You're the only one who can stop it."

Crocodile roared as he appeared behind Vivi with his hook above them. "You really think I'll let you do as you want?"

Before the enraged Shichibukai could land a blow on the two friends, Chaka blocked the blow with his weapon. "I am the guardian of Alabasta and as long as I breathe, I will defeat enemies of the royal family. I will fight as long as I still can breathe!"

"You're an idiot," Crocodile snorted as he looked at the critically injured Zoan.

Chaka coughed up some blood with the effort of blocking the blow. "Kohza, Vivi-sama, you two go on. I can only hold Crocodile off for a few minutes.

The two childhood friends nodded and for a moment, Kohza looked rather misty eyed as they ran from the scene.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The water barrel on Luffy's back began to shift with the turbulence. "Oi Luffy! It's hard enough riding on Pell's back in the air, but with all your movement, the water might fall off."

"Hehe, sorry sis," the scrawny pirate grinned as the Zoan they were on top of rolled his eyes.

"You two are crazy," he muttered as he soared towards Alubarna's palace. "It's about time."

Andrea nodded as she stood on top of the Zoan. "Thanks, Pell. Anyway, lil bro, time to stop some crazy fighting." Without warning, she let herself freefall off of the Devil Fruit user.

Pointing down dramatically, Luffy shrieked. "Noooooooooooooooo! If you die, Andy, Ace will kill me!"

* * *

-Meanwhile on a boat-

* * *

*CRACK!*

Admiral Akainu looked down at the sake cup he had held and was about to pour a drink in. "Curious…" he muttered as he searched for another cup.

* * *

-Back in Alubarna-

* * *

Pell sighed at the pirate. "She'll be fine. Anyway, look who I see now."

The hyper pirate looked and his gaze hardened. "Crocodile!" he shouted in rage and the Shichibukai looked up from where he had been attempting to choke a certain princess.

Vivi looked up with hope in her teary eyes. "Luffy!"

"Why won't this damn Straw Hat die?" the sand logia scowled under his breath.

The Straw Hat leapt down and embraced the teary princess. "I told you I'd catch up, Vivi!"

Sobbing, the bluenette held on tightly to the pirate. "The palace is going to be bombed. We have hardly any time. They are all going to die and no one can hear me. At this rate…"

"Shush," Luffy murmured as he kept holding onto Vivi. "We heard your voice."

Pell preened instinctively as he looked at the optimistic pirate. "Be careful, Luffy."

The pirate nodded as he looked at a certain Shichibukai in rage. "It's ok. I ate a lot of meat that my sis cooked. She makes the best meat." His glare became steely as he became serious. "I won't lose."

"How are you still alive? Your wounds should have been fatal." Crocodile sneered as his cigar was shredded by his raging sands.

"I knew Luffy was alive!" Usopp shouted at the top of his lungs while Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Is that really the face of someone who knew that?" Sanji muttered as he lit up a cigarette.

"I'm sorry I lost to this guy once," Luffy muttered but his voice was heard by his crew and the princess who gave small smiles to their captain.

"Just hurry it up," Zoro said as he rolled his eyes.

"If you can't win, who can?" Usopp shouted as he wriggled about with Chopper attempting to fix his injuries.

"I'll finish it all now then," Luffy confidently stated as he looked at Crocodile. The crew nodded as Vivi wept in joy.

_All my friends…_ The princess looked up to see the pirate captain head towards the Shichibukai.

"No matter how you try, you still can't hit me," Crocodile sneered at the pirate who looked confident. "Tch, I suppose you want to be impaled again."

To the Shichibukai's shock, Luffy's fist impacted with his face.


	44. Did That Just Happen?

Woo! A nice chapter planned ahead :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 44: Did That Just Happen?**

"Who is that?" the king sputtered in shock to the passive Miss All Sunday.

She ignored him and merely motioned to the captain. "Gum Gum…"

The Shichibukai froze as he felt the Straw Hat's hands actually on his body. _How could he have…?_

"Buzzsaw!" Luffy shouted as he impacted with Crocodile's face. The king of Alabasta stared in shock at the flattened man while Miss All Sunday chuckled under her breath. Luffy scowled at the man on the ground. "Stand up, you stupid Croc," he commanded.

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Andrea held tightly onto Pell as Luffy retold the fight to her. "Well Crocodile is a Logia and you managed to touch him a couple times?" The Marine looked at shock at her little brother who had tilted his head in confusion. "You don't know what Armament Haki is do you?"

"What?" Luffy snorted while picking his nose in boredom.

"Never mind," she sighed as she desperately tried to remember all she could about the weakness of Logia. Luffy likely would be able to pick up this type of Haki in the future but the chances of him learning now on the way to Alubarna would be unlikely. "Hey Pell-san, got an idea how Luffy was able to get his hands on Crocodile?"

Pell was thoughtful as he flapped his wings powerfully. "Well he is a sand Logia and I guess something must have happened to solidify sand."

"Oh water!" Luffy exclaimed as he held to the little barrel that Mr. Toto had given him. "The water that old guy gave me spilled a little on that damn Croc."

Pell hummed thoughtfully when Andrea tapped him on his avian shoulder. "May we make a pit stop Pell-san?"

* * *

-End Flashback-

* * *

"We figured out that if you touch water, you can't turn to sand." Luffy explained as if lecturing a small child. "It also explains why you hate rain and tried to make the country drier. You are scared of people exploiting your weakness and with this in mind, I can beat you."_Hey, what do ya know… I sound like Andy._

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Find the what? How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Usopp sputtered at Vivi.

"We have only maybe ten minutes," Vivi said as calmly as she could. Seeing the crew again and Luffy had renewed her shaky confidence.

"So… if the blast has a radius of five kilometers, shouldn't the enemy be about two and a half kilometers away?" The sniper calculated as he winced from his still tender wounds.

Vivi shook her head in doubt. "Unlikely. The shooters are most likely nearby."

Usopp's eyes widened as he realized what Vivi implied. "But if the shooter is here, won't they…?"

Nam nodded in understanding as she closed her eyes softly. "Crocodile seems that type of person."

Chopper's mouth dropped as even the most innocent Straw Hat caught on. "Killing his own buddies…"

"I'd eat that man raw," Sanji scowled around his lit cigarette.

Pell flinched as he felt a presence. "If you know it, then let's…" Zoro stopped as he felt the same presence and together with Sanji, stopped an assassin making an attempt on Vivi's life. The princess's eyes widened realizing how much danger they still were in.

"Damn it!" Usopp squawked on seeing the people surrounding them. The soldiers leered at Vivi and Nami but their various derogatory comments towards the princess advancing their career irritated the pirates.

Sanji raised a curly eyebrow towards his green haired rival as he glanced at the thugs. "How long do you plan to take?"

Zoro scoffed at the blond chef. "We have to make every second count."

Simultaneously, the two rivals muttered, "Two seconds!"

Nami motioned to the other crewmates and the two natives of Alabasta. "Let's go! Those two can handle this. We need to go somewhere safe."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"You actually want to defeat me?" Crocodile thundered as he stared down the younger pirate.

"Yup," Luffy nodded while trying to concentrate on the foe before him.

"Even while we were fighting and you were in danger, you caught a detail allowing you to see a flaw of my powers but you're still young. Do you think it's just so simple like that? I am a Shichibukai after all," Crocodile smoothly countered.

Vivi's father looked upon the scene curiously. "That man…"

"He's a pirate with a sister who apparently is a Marine. Thanks to them, the princess has gotten to live longer." The brunette replied as she kept her eyes trained on the young pirate and her partner.

"He helped bring my daughter back," Cobra murmured thoughtfully.

"Gum Gum Bullet!" Luffy shouted as he attempted to punch the Logia with his watered fist but the Shichibukai merely snickered at his efforts.

"Attacks like this are easy to evade. Interesting how your hand may be wet," he gripped the rubber man's arm tightly with his hand. "But don't forget I can absorb moisture."

"Shit, forgot he had that ability," Luffy stammered as he attempted to charge the Logia but he merely turned to sand when the Straw Hat's captain attempted to kick him. Luffy took a drink of water hurriedly and poured more water over his body. "In our earlier fight, you said using our Devil Fruit powers in different ways can make us stronger." He threw a rubbery punch at the Logia and shook his arm. "From Gum Gum Bullet to Gum Gum Gatling Gun!"

Crocodile chuckled at the younger pirate's efforts. "How clever of you. Desert Spada!" He slashed towards Luffy and the pirate squeaked upon remembering the attack.

"Not that move again," he squawked as he barely avoided it and he looked down at the deep indentation in the ground left by the attack. "That could have been dangerous." Immediately he charged at Crocodile who scoffed at the young man.

"How can you win if you always use the same technique?" To his disdain, Luffy merely laughed back.

"But I'm totally confident." He hit Crocodile back then pulled the water barrel from his back. "I've been planning from the start!" He poured some of the keg of water over the Logia. "Now get wet, Crocodile!"

However, he merely chuckled and sand swirled in his hand. "I bet you did a lot of planning. Sandstorm!" He blew away Luffy and the water barrel away and chuckled seeing the younger pirate desperately rescue the barrel from impacting on the ground. "You really are into this fight aren't you, Straw Hat Luffy? Such a pity that if you lose that barrel, your tactic fails. So much for you being different in this fight eh?"

The younger pirate flinched in anger. "That's right. It wouldn't be different." He drank the mass of water then smashed down the barrel and glared at Crocodile. "I am different from last time."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea clenched her head which pounded in the sun. _Why do I feel that Luffy did something dumb… Ugh. Jumping off Pell was a stupid idea too. _She walked rather calmly through the fighting and smirked to see people stop upon realizing she was a Marine or rather, most of the fighting stop. Among the soldiers, both rebel and royal, she would demand to see their forearms. Soon, one rebel she recognized from Kohza's camp refused. Smirking, she pulled out her dagger. "I shall make an example of you then you fool," she snickered and slashed at the man's clothed arm. The blade slashed the fabric and dug into the skin, making the soldier wince and to her delight, she saw quite the incriminating tattoo. The man held his arm as he realized what she did but after being backhanded, he wavered and Andrea took the opportunity to hold out the man's arm and hence, the tattoo for all to see. "You all see this?" she shouted loudly and to her pleasure, there was silence. "I want all of your arms revealed and anyone I notice with this tattoo will be rounded up and tied for the Marines to deal with. Anyone who refuses, I will _personally_ take care of."

Pandemonium ensued and when someone pointed out what she would do, a dark smile took over her face. Taking her dagger, she swiped it at the Baroque Works member she had caught and beheaded him immediately. The remaining soldiers in the immediate area now worked to find people to oust as agents but the Marine sighed. This was just a small portion of the fighting she had dealt with.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Water Luffy!" The Straw Hat's captain proclaimed proudly as his stomach inflated with the vast amount of water consumed. However, some water began to leak out of his wounds to the pirate's dismay.

Crocodile just stared blankly. _Is he serious?_

"Dammit, I drank too much water. I'm going to have to pee soon," Luffy groaned as he swayed with the water weight.

Miss All Sunday's smirk turned into a full blown chuckle at the situation in front of her. Her partner however was becoming more and more irate at pirate's antics. _Is he understanding the situation? Underestimating me like this?_ "You damn kid! What the hell is so funny?" the Shichibukai snarled just to have a blob of water spat out towards him and hitting him fully in the face. The water dripped down to drench the Logia's body. _Dammit…_

Luffy looked sternly at the man who had done so much damage to Alabasta. "Who says I'm joking? I'm always serious." Crocodile flinched as he felt his wet body unable to turn to sand. "Gum Gum Rocket Punch!" he proclaimed as he slammed his fists into the taller man.


	45. Interference

A nice little chapter :)

Please enjoy it everyone!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 45: Interference**

The momentum sent 'Water' Luffy backwards slightly but he surveyed the damage he dealt with triumph. "How was that, Crocodile?"

"I can't believe it…" the king muttered in wonder but he winced when Miss All Sunday had her hands pull out the stakes holding him to the palace wall.

"Now is not the time to appreciate that, Cobra-san." Glancing momentarily at the fight, she turned her gaze back to the king. "Now hurry up and take me to where the True History is."

The king flinched at the thought of this criminal having that knowledge. "Why do you wish to see it? What are you planning?"

Darkness crossing her face, she restrained the royal. "None of your concern. Now take me to that place." Luffy looked at the brunette critically and she chuckled at his stern glance. "This is the end of your good luck. You have no more time."

"Move your ass, Nico Robin," a gravelly voice scowled. "Otherwise you'll end up dry too. This kid is pissing me off."

Cobra's face paled at the mention of the woman's true name and she merely nodded in complacency. "As you wish, Crocodile."

Luffy looked curiously at the angered Shichibukai who radiated killing intent through every pore of his body. "Listen here, Straw Hat. Every rock around here I will destroy." Without further warning, he began to drain the surrounding area of its moisture.

"Whoa, the grass turned yellow!" The young pirate backed up cautiously and noticed the area around him. "Even the trees too! He's drying the surface of the land up." He took a couple of steps backwards and fell through the weakened foundation. "Nooooo! That bastard!" He spat a few water bubbles at the Logia. "Water Gun!" To his dismay however, the older pirate merely held out his hand and absorbed the moisture from the water. "You were able to absorb it," Luffy exclaimed in wonder.

"You really think you disabled my ability with water? You are wrong. The power of sand depends on how arid or moist things are. My right hand can make _anything_ dry." A surge of confidence went through the Shichibukai as he began to dry the rocks and surroundings into sand. "Everything will turn back into the sand from whence it came!"

Luffy kept backing up cautiously at the display of Crocodile's ability "The Earth looks like it died… and you even got my sandals!"

The enraged leader of the Baroque Works glared at Luffy. "Everything touched by my right hand will become sand. Mass Erosion!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nico Robin stared down the mass of Marines in front of her, led by a rather brash swordswoman. She really had no time for any interruptions. "Leave Marine. We have important business to attend to."

Tashigi shook her head firmly. "And ignore this situation surrounding Alubarna? I know what's happened thanks to many reports and do you know who it is you have restrained?"

The Paramecia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I don't care. I hate dogs of the government who follow blindly like that Andrea woman. Now you all better get out of the way…"

Tashigi unsheathed her sword as she stared at the svelte woman in front of her. "We will not do so."

Robin's eyes darkened dangerously. "Then, I will kill you."

The king in the Devil Fruit user's grasp wiggled slightly to get the Marine's attention. "Don't worry about me. A bomb will go off soon so please stop it."

Tashigi's eyes widened and her grip loosened upon her blade. "A million lives could be at stake…" Her eyes hardened with a steely resolve however. "We will save you and stop her."

Cobra tried to warn the Marines but the woman from Ohara narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Do not stop me!" Her arms disabled many of the incoming Marines and it did not take long before someone recognized her or her abilities.

"That's a Devil Fruit power," Tashigi stammered in fear and inadequacy.

"Lieutenant! That must be Nico Robin who Andrea-san warned us about. The reward given for this woman is legendary and even without Andrea-san informing us of her presence here, I still remember reading about her twenty years ago. She sank eight Marine ships as a young child of eight and her bounty reached almost eighty million Beri!"

Robin's composure however had shattered at the end of this Marine's tale. "Enough! Now are you lot going to live or die?"

Tashigi felt taken by fear as she stared this woman down. Knowing from Andrea this woman's abilities was bad enough and seeing confirmation made it feel even worse. _Numbers mean nothing. We can't do anything to her. _Tashigi turned to her troops and ordered, "Sergeant, get everyone to the palace to stop the bomb." The sergeant tried to argue back but was silenced by a stern look and left with the troops. Soon, it was only three left in the area. Tashigi tightened her grip on her sword as she advanced towards her fellow brunette. "You will release him," she commanded but to no avail.

Robin merely scowled and subdued the female Marine before her. "I told you not to interfere."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea had blood splatters on the annoying dancer outfit she wore but she did not care. Now when she encountered troops, they saw her steely gaze and tight grip on her blade and became especially quick to comply with her jacket cape waving in the wind on her shoulders. A couple times she worried about if the country was too late to be saved but she took a deep breath to regain her focus. _Worst case scenario: Sakazuki is on his way here anyway. In any case, I won't fail my mission, I won't fail Vivi and I especially won't fail my little brother._ She walked around when the situation fully hit her. She had splatters of blood and for once, they were not her own, on her body and it felt heavy as if she was carrying around liquid lead. The smell of death was heavy in the air and with the dryness of the country, made the smell especially ripe. Stumbling into an alleyway, Andrea had lost her composure and began to dry heave. Her stomach tightened as she had very little in her body and almost had not noticed a few men behind her between the pain and her hacking cough. _How can the Admirals handle brutal assignments? How is Gramps able to be such an effective Marine?_

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, gentlemen." She turned and glanced as a trio of thugs stared back at her. She could see the faint outline of the Baroque Works tattoo on the leader's arm and she tensed for a fight. "Isn't this the little tart who thinks she's such a badass Marine?"

"She matches the poster, boss." One of the underlings murmured as he leered at her. Andrea shuddered in disgust between the looks and the blood on her skin. "She looks ripe for the taking now doesn't she?"

"Pigs like you are why Crocodile is attempting to make this country rot," she retorted in anger as she pulled herself up against the wall. The mens' eyes narrowed at her in anger as she continued. "I'm here to exterminate scum like yourselves and protect this nation in the name of the Marines and the World Government."

"You can't protect no one Missy," the leader of the thugs scoffed at her. "Now be a good little wannabe Marine and come with us."

A vein twitched in the brunette's temple as her head jerked upwards and she felt her fury leave her body instantly. The three men crumpled onto the ground instantly. The two weaker thugs were rendered unconscious while the leader was aware but unable to move. She walked over to the leader and none so gently, placed her foot over his throat. "Do you know my name, worthless pawn of the Baroque Works?"

The man sputtered in relief he had not been killed but the intense look her raging eyes gave off almost loosened his bowels. "From what the poster says, it says you're Andrea."

Smirking, she kneeled while keeping her foot on top of the man's throat. "I have the blood of the king of the pirates flowing through my veins. My twin is the commander of Whitebeard's 2nd Division. My little brother is going to be the new king of the pirates. My Gramps is a legendary Marine war hero. Do you want to hear more little man?" The man's breath came out ragged and strained underneath her foot but she could not find it in her heart to care. His eyes were widened in fear as she pulled out her blade and looked at her reflection using it. "Wanna know what's funny? I got friends on both sides and they are scary. I am the protégé of the Marine Admirals you could say."

This got a reaction out of the leader who tried to wiggle and he even managed to cough a few words. "Get off me, devilish woman."

"Nah, not done playing with you yet," she smiled as she felt rather chipper. She increased the pressure on the man's throat and sighed. "Actually now I'm bored but…" she let up on her foot and the man touched his throat gingerly. "Now that I told you all that, I can't let you live now can I?"

A minute later, Andrea was wiping her blade on the shirt of the thug and she felt the familiar presence of Tashigi nearby and decided to head there.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy was hanging over the edge of the palace's high wall rather precariously which was proving partially difficult with his slightly inflated frame. "That guy's right hand is dangerous… To think he turned the lawn into a desert!" He swung slightly as he looked around. "Wait… where did he go?!"

Sand swirled above Luffy's hands as a rage darkened voice muttered, "You let me waste so much of my strength…" Luffy spat out more water but the Shichibukai avoided the drops easily. "Not a drop on me. You lose again, Straw Hat Luffy." The man squeezed the young pirate and drained his body of moisture to the point that he looked like a withered corn husk.


	46. Knowledge is Power

Well, another eventful chapter for my lovelies :)

And a great thank you to 18KmPerHour for your reviews :D and I have yet another follower ^_^

Everyone enjoy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 46: Knowledge is Power**

"What a good way for you to die," murmured the pleased Shichibukai. "This whole area is about to be bombed. Just keep quiet and enjoy the show: the birth of a new country and its king!" He dropped Luffy without a care as the dried, weakened pirate would no longer pose a threat. The sandy Logia was in a hurry to rendezvous with Miss All Sunday that he ignored the water bubbles that fell back down onto the dried out rubber pirate.

"I thought I was dead for sure!" the revitalized pirate shouted in joy after the water rehydrated him. Luffy looked around in the confusion. "Where did he go? Oh he prolly flew that way. I won't let you go easily!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Hidden stairs," Robin noticed in amusement as they had entered the royal tomb.

"The True History is there and most normal people don't know of its existence." Cobra stammered as Robin gave an inquisitive stare around them.

"The world has a lot of secrets. Even the king of a big country like you doesn't know everything," Robin smirked in confidence as realization crossed his face.

"You can understand it can't you?" The raven haired woman nodded.

"Why do you think Crocodile would make a deal with me? I'm the one he can't kill," she stated confidently. "Your lack of knowledge is not your fault however. You never realized someone might exist who can actually read it. Do you believe there is information about Pluton in Alabasta's True History?"

The king shrugged. "I have no idea. All our country did was protect its knowledge."

Robin glared darkly at him. "Protect? Don't kid." They entered even further and Robin was impressed by the tomb. "It's a rather spacious place…"

"The True History is beyond that door," the king pointed as the woman strode ahead and pushed open the doors.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea had come across the mangled but still living body of Tashigi and had gone to work wrapping any bleeding wounds but the swordswoman was very weak. "Andrea-san," she stammered weakly as Andrea brushed her hair out of her face.

"Are you ok?" Tashigi nodded weakly as she looked up at her one time student.

"That woman, Nico Robin, was going to kill me but didn't…" she stopped as she saw a familiar figure up ahead. Andrea felt a kinship with the presence and looked up to see him. "Straw Hat!" Tashigi exclaimed as she tried to get up but Andrea restrained her.

Luffy nodded towards his sister before looking at the Marine Lieutenant. "Where did that damn Crocodile go?" Tashigi flinched and closed her eyes. Memories filled her as Crocodile had come across her mere moments before Andrea had found out and started to insult her weakness and the principles of the Marines. "Tell me, dammit!" Luffy shouted and to Andrea's shock, Tashigi pointed towards the west.

"To the temple," she murmured and upon hearing that, Luffy took off in that direction.

"Oh, thanks miss! You and Smokey are nice Marines!" he exclaimed as he dashed off. Andrea looked at her brother's fading figure before turning to her fellow Marine.

"I'm going after him," she explained as she took some things out of her bag and handed to Tashighi what she realized was more medical supplies. "Do what you can but be careful."

She walked off with her dark hair swishing in the desert breeze as Tashigi looked at her curiously and thought on her situation. _What was it that Crocodile meant about justice and headquarters?_

Ahead, Luffy had dashed frantically towards where Crocodile had headed but he wavered and ended up swerving into a wall. "Oi Luffy!" he heard as he collided with the wall and bounced off like rubber.

"Heh, hi Andy," he muttered as he winced. "I can't move but I ate a lot of meat earlier!"

Andrea cradled her little brother in her arms as she attempted to stop the bleeding in a couple areas. "Maybe you're just tired," she suggested as her brother squirmed at her attempts at first aid.

"Andy, I'm glad your dream wasn't to be a doctor cause you suck at this." Luffy cheekily said as he stuck his tongue out at her only to be whacked upside the head by the worried Marine.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin glanced at the Poneglyph with a great amount of interest while Cobra looked around cautiously. "Did you find what you're looking for?"

The woman scowled at the stone. "Is this really all this country is hiding?"

"But I fulfilled your wish to be brought here. Aren't you satisfied?" the king sputtered in annoyance

"Interesting how if you are ignorant of this place, you can't find it." Crocodile murmured as he walked into the room. "Since I'm certain you can read it, I want you to read it out loud, Nico Robin." Nodding, she began to read it just for the Shichibukai to become annoyed. "I don't give a damn about this country's history. I want to know if there is a hidden power within this country."

She shook her head in disappointment. "It literally is just history with no mention of Pluton anywhere."

"What a pity," he murmured before turning towards her. "Despite how good of a partner you were, I'll kill you." The woman's shock was evident while Cobra looked around cautiously as if trying to find a way to escape their notice. "Our agreement made four years ago has come to an end. You said to take you to the Poneglyph or True History and that you would tell me about that weapon." The Logia's stance frightened Robin as she knew in a fair fight, she was no match for him. "After four years working together, I admit you are an intelligent and diligent woman. For a while, that was enough for me and I believe you were once a worthy woman. Yet…" he backhanded the woman with his hooked hand. "You broke your promise. Yet I'm not mad at you. Do you know why, Nico Robin?"

Robin smirked as she reached within her coat. "Idiot. I worked with you for four years and realized your intentions." She pulled out a vial of water and threw it to a hand that appeared on Crocodile's back. His eyes widened on seeing the contents. "If I pour water on you, a knife can go through you correct?" she exclaimed as she charged him. However, he turned to sand before she could have her hand throw the vial onto his back. Her eyes widened in fear as she looked around wildly. "He evaded that? Where did he go?"

She coughed as his hooked hand stabbed her through and he pulled out the appendage just as quickly as it went in. "I will forgive everything you have done because I only trusted myself to begin with." He turned away from the injured woman and looked around. "Now that I am certain Pluton exists, it's only a matter of time with his country in my grasp to obtain it." The building shaking interrupted the man's thoughts and he looked around with uncertainty until his eyes focused on the king. "What did you do?"

"Nothing important… just pulled away a main support pillar to collapse this building. The two of us won't survive." The king's gaze hardened as he looked upon the pirate. "I won't hand you this country."

The pirate however snickered at his efforts. "Such a loving king aren't you? So prepared to give up your life but pity that I won't die. By turning the rocks to sand, I will be able to escape." His face turned graceful for a moment. "Funnily enough, this temple collapsing will eliminate every obstacle in my way and will hand me this country. Your death is worthless."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy sat up in confusion as he saw his partially wrapped body and even noticed a little bow on top of the wrappings. Looking to the side, he saw his sister who was in the middle of changing the bandages for her palm. "Glad to see you awake, lil bro."

He looked relieved to see his sister and stood up carefully. "I guess I just needed a good nap but I don't remember going to sleep."

"Cause I knocked you out, idiot. You wouldn't stop bitching about me taking care of you," she retorted just to see his carefree grin. Rolling her eyes, she held out her hand and he pulled on it to bring her to her feet.

He looked towards the temple. "I'm going to wreck that damn Crocodile. Are you with me, Andy?"

"Wouldn't be against you," she replied with a smirk as they both ran down the once hidden stairs.


	47. Breaking Down

Here goes more action leading up to a climatic battle!

As always, cheers to 18KmPerHour for your reviews! I really appreciate it

Everyone enjoy :D

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 47: Breaking Down**

"Eh sis, why is this place collapsing?" Luffy muttered in annoyance after yanking Andrea out of the way of a crumbling pillar.

"Prolly that damn Crocodile wrecking havoc or something," she scowled after stubbing her toe. "Fuck this temple," she decided after pulling off the bandages on her right palm.

"Oi Andy, what are you doing?" the young pirate asked her as she rolled her eyes.

"A little demolition work, Luffy," she deadpanned as she unleashed a beam of light which slammed past much of the debris. He started to grin at his sister's brilliance before noticing her bleeding hand. "This stupid hand of mine is such a burden," she groaned as she rewrapped her bandages.

"I don't know about that sis. Look who we found!" he exclaimed as he pointed at a rather irate Shichibukai.

"You stupid kid!" he roared in annoyance. "Twice you should have died!"

Andrea rolled her eyes. "And here I thought the World Government had a more permanent definition of dead," she muttered as she walked towards two bodies she saw in the room that looked awfully familiar.

"Well I caught up, Crocodile," Luffy explained as if teaching a child a simple concept

"How are you still alive?" he waved his hooked hand in annoyance towards the Marine. "Your sister could not have been responsible for that much."

"Yeah, you're right. She's kinda a crap medic," admitted the Straw Hat to his sister's annoyance.

"Well I'm sorry the Tanuki isn't here to patch you up all the time," she snarked as she dragged Nico Robin to where the king was. The king sputtered as he saw her jacket and the familiar, younger pirate.

"That boy is here… and who are you?" he asked politely which proved rather difficult considering how worn and bloody he was but she gave a polite smile.

"I'm just here to help my little brother and your daughter," she said simply as she wrapped up his head.

"The Straw Hat kid…" Robin muttered weakly as she tilted her head. "And you…" a weak cough distorted her word slightly but they were clear as crystal to the Marine. "Why are you helping?"

"You took away something from me that you haven't returned," Luffy muttered simply which made his sister smile softly.

"Sometimes, Nico Robin, shit just happens." She began to wrap her chest wound tightly to stop the bleeding much to her fellow raven haired woman's surprise. "I'll deal with the consequences of you not dying later or maybe do it myself. What matters here is him being apprehended," the Marine concluded as she tied the bandage and put her finishing touch on it. "If Luffy fails to deal with Crocodile, I'll have to step in myself and despite being physically weaker than him, you'll see I can hold my own," she smiled weakly.

However to Crocodile's surprise, Luffy landed a punch on him without the aid of water. Andrea's sharp eyes did not notice the tell tale signs of Haki either so she was most intrigued. "How did you…?" the Shichibukai muttered in pain and he saw the younger pirate's fist drip blood onto the temple floor. "You used your own blood!"

"Blood should be able to stop your sand too right? And if I'm only bleeding this much, it should be ok cause Andy bleeds more all the time and is fine."

"Missing the point, little brother!" Andrea retorted with annoyance as her palm began to twinge in pain.

However, the Shichibukai began to laugh maniacally. "Outside Rainbase, at the palace, and now here to pursue me… You should have died twice already so I should reward your stubbornness." He avoided a kick from the younger pirate and took off a cover off his golden hook. "Since you want to end this fight so badly, I'll face you as a dangerous foe of mine."

"Oh, you took off your hook but there's a hook underneath…?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion before shouting at his sister. "Sis, he took off his hook!"

Andrea rolled her eyes at her brother and even the much subdued Nico Robin found the situation humorous with a couple of weak chuckles. "Yes Luffy, I see the hook. Please try to avoid it as it looks painful from here."

"Oh yes, it is rather painful when it was covered," Robin added just to see the Crocodile's eye twitch slightly.

"It's a very poisonous hook," he added as he held it up before them.

"Hear that sis? It's poisonous!" Cobra had a small smile at Luffy's exuberance while Andrea sighed into one of Robin's hands that appeared in front of her.

"Yes Luffy, please avoid the poisonous hook," Andrea deadpanned as she noticed Crocodile tense for a fight.

"As a pirate, you should know fights between pirates are life and death," the Shichibukai lectured in a droning voice. "Let's cease the meaningless banter as with how things are falling apart now, I'd like to have an interesting last battle."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Tashigi felt queasy in her stomach as she saw various members of the Straw Hat pirates scrambling about for what she assumed was the same reason she had been scrambling. Knowledge that Andrea's brother, being the captain of the Straw Hats themselves, made her feel it was a slight conflict of interest but Tashigi could not deny the logic. Letting these small time pirates help out is much better than the rogue Shichibukai trying to take over a country. "We'll cover your movements! Just please stop the expolosion!" she shouted to the frantic Straw Hats who looked relieved at her statement.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea's eyes watched her brother and the older pirate trade blows and to her relief, he had avoided touching the extremely poisonous hook but the Marine felt she was going to hyperventilate from the stress of watching her brother in such a dangerous situation. What did not help is that she knew that if she attempted to step in and help, that would upset the sense of honor for both pirates. A small smile graced her face seeing Luffy fake out Crocodile and feint an attack but both of them stared in horror at what happened when the poisonous hook touched a pillar. "Please don't let that touch you, Luffy," she stated in fear as she really did not want to bury another brother.

He merely gave a curt nod before staring down next blow led him to get a quick swipe over the rubber man's shoulder but Luffy used that action to counter attack by holding onto his arm and attacking from a closer distance. Cobra had been watching the fight with grim interest before turning to the anxious Marine. "What kind of person is your brother? To be able to fight to such an extent with Crocodile who defeats my nation's champions…"

"He's a monster like how I'm a monster and how Nico Robin is a demon," Andrea murmured sadly and she was mildly surprised to see the woman from Ohara nod. She paused for a moment to hear Crocodile explain about the poison on his hook before turning back to address the king. "My little brother is strong though so please don't underestimate him. Of course after this is said and done, he'll be expecting a feast with a ton of meat."

Robin and the king gave twin smiles as Luffy mocked the Shichibukai. "You simply don't understand, Crocodile."


	48. Understanding

As always, a word of thanks to 18KmPerHour for your review

I hope everyone enjoys the following chapter!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 48: Understanding**

"You believe I don't understand?" Crocodile asked incredulously to the younger pirate who just nodded simply to him. The two traded blows and despite taking a hit, he was grinning. "I swiped at you earlier with my hook and sooner or later, you'll die from the poison." Luffy's body stiffened visibly as he glared at Crocodile in annoyance. "Your body is already numbing and regardless of if you win or lose, you'll die either way. Your sister will be unable to find medical attention. Yet you still fight on and have so I must ask why?"

Andrea smiled softly as she looked her brother. "You're right, Luffy-kun. He still doesn't get it."

Crocodile became more enraged at the marine's comment. "Straw Hat Luffy, there shouldn't be anything you are seeking here. Why put out so much effort for someone else yet alone possibly die? You could have avoided being involved completely."

Luffy chuckled as he looked the Shichibukai in the eye. "Vivi is willing to throw her life away and if we don't help her, she'll die. I won't let her die cause of Baroque Works."

The Logia became more infuriated at the younger pirate's logic. "I don't see what's wrong with letting those people die and you not be bothered with this situation." Luffy shifted forward and collapsed as the destructive poison spread through his body. Andrea winced at the thought of having to step in to help her brother and gave a momentary glance at Robin and they silently understood each other. "Your big talk doesn't matter when you can't move your body. Just accept that this is your end. Luffy was slowly and painfully pushing himself off the stone floor to Crocodile's amusement. "Do you really believe you can win this? No matter how much you care for your friends and crewmates or how often you thwart my plans, not winning this fight would make that all worthless. You're just an amateur, loser pirate and many like you are already dead."

"Luffy! Don't listen to him!" Andrea shouted as she stated to yet again, unwrap the bandage around her throbbing right hand and even Crocodile's former partner pushed herself up in preparation.

Crocodile's cocky face became even more pronounced however. "Oh well, the bomb didn't get shot but it'll just self destruct a little later anyway."

Luffy stood up suddenly and his eyes held a murderous intent. "When Vivi doesn't give up, neither will we!" Andrea smiled at her little brother's radiating confidence which even began to fill her body. "If it's just me and you, Crocodile, you cannot defeat me."

"Feh, you can barely speak those words yet alone stand." The Shichibukai took the chance to sneer at the weakened king and the two women in his presence. "Your pathetic look suits you when you try to say such things. Even your proud sister looks meek with her injuries and wouldn't be able to assist you in this fight anyway."

Luffy's eyes hardened dangerously. "I will become King of the Pirates and don't you dare say anything about my sis."

"If you understood the harsh seas, you would not be so quick to dismiss the dangers around you. Weaklings like you, your sister and those pathetic marines sicken me," Crocodile retorted as he attempted to swipe at Luffy again with his hook. "Once you realize how powerful pirates in the Grand Line are, you'll abandon such foolish dreams."

Luffy dodged the swipe and put his foot down onto the cuff of the hook and quickly used his power to push it into the ground and snapped the poisonous hook off of Crocodile's arm. "I will surpass you," he stated simply.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Pell smiled sadly at Princess Vivi before taking the bomb into his talons and hoisting it high above the city. He knew his duty to both the royal family and the country very well and had no second thoughts. "For this country, I am its guardian. Enemies of the royal family will be no more," he murmured softly as he went high into the sky and the bomb exploded.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Tashigi was swept back by the shockwave from what she assumed was the bomb. "Those pirates must have taken it away," she reasoned as she looked around but to her sorrows, the troops were still fighting each other despite being saved from the bomb's threat. The faint cries and the pleas of the princess could scarcely be heard over the clashing of blades and booming of gunpowder.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Crocodile staggered back from the punch that Straw Hat Luffy had delivered then the kick shook him quite a bit and there was yet another punch. _How can this kid have that much stamina left? That poison should have disabled him by now_. He triggered a hidden blade where his poisonous hook was and scowled, "I don't know where you came from but do you know who I am?! You are nothing to me!" He swiped at the younger pirate with his blade but Luffy dodged the blow and did a strong upwards kick to the older pirate.

"I told you, I will surpass you!"

Crocodile's displeasure only became more pronounced as he soared above them. "I will make all of you disappear with this temple!" He started to use his powers on the area around them but Luffy sucked in air to propel himself upwards. Luffy began to punch rapidly midair while Crocodile tried to create a sword out of sand to counter. However, the rubber man's fists broke through the logia's offense and began to slam into the older man's body. Crocodile soared through the air defeated as Luffy fell back down to the earth.

Andrea jumped up to catch her younger brother in her arms but his weight caused her to fall quickly and made her legs buckle and crash into the ground but she made sure none of the impact hit her brother. "Eh… I'll take care of Crocodile's apprehension later," she stammered as she looked over her brother's wounds with great worry." To their surprise, the drip drops of rain poured in through the top of the ceiling.

"It's actually raining…" Cobra muttered in pure shock as he raised a weak hand to the rain.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Tashigi felt the rain on her face mix with the blood from her wounds but heard the fighting cease. Men of Alabasta stopped their fighting to stare out at the cloudy sky in wonder. While they could not hear thunder, another thing was audible to the people. "Everyone, stop fighting!" the princess begged the soldiers. Confused murmurs sounded all around but the princess resumed, "The rain that is coming now will fall again like it did before because our troubles are over."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Cobra edged himself close to Andrea who was holding Luffy close to him. "I must thank you, young pirate," he said respectfully just to be faced with two grins.

"No need to thank anyone," Luffy pronounced proudly which only made his older sister relax until she looked up to see a broken piece of ceiling above them falling prey to the law of gravity.


	49. Our Justice

A huge, Luffy sized balloon, thanks to 18KmPerHour and OnePiecefan202 for their reviews and for the latter's follow/favorite! I really appreciate it :)

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter because it felt relatively easy for me to write :o

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 49: Our Justice**

Robin's eyes widened as the Marine, still holding her youthful brother, gave a high kick which shattered the debris hurtling towards them. "Oi! Both of you get up or we'll be trapped here!"

Cobra had stood up easily as did Robin but the woman from Ohara was wary. "You'll turn me in…"

"My priority right now is my brother. Whether you live or die at this moment is none of my concern so come on!" she retorted with annoyance which was quickly placated when Cobra assisted her in carrying Luffy out of the collapsing temple. She did not turn back to see if Crocodile's former partner escaped or not.

* * *

-A little later-

* * *

"Oi! Stop pulling me," a bandaged Usopp wailed as Zoro dragged him despite his protests.

"Ah… there's the captain and surprisingly his sister too," the first mate commented in amusement as he noted the injured king and marine who had her arm practically wrapped up as well as walking with a slight limp.

Cobra looked carefully at the pirates before him before turning to Andrea. "Can we trust them?"

She chuckled and patted her brother who was dozing in their arms. "That's his crew."

Sanji stepped forward and pointed at Luffy. "I can carry him. What happened to your ankle Andrea-san?"

She shrugged as she passed her brother to the slightly worn out chef. Cobra however, surveyed the crew in amusement. "So, you are the crew that brought Vivi back here…"

Zoro nodded as he knew that with Luffy out cold, he was technically the second in command. "Who exactly are you?"

Vivi came towards them at that very moment. "Oh you found my dad!"

Sanji's jaw dropped dangerously low as he looked at the monarch. "You're Vivi's father?"

The green haired swordsman nodded in understanding. "So you're the king." He poked Andrea in the forehead in amusement. "As a marine, you should have protected him better then."

"Hey, the damage he had was there before I saw him," she protested as the king laughed.

"I was certain that I was going to be killed but Andrea's brother saved me. This kid really is something. To have all the stamina to beat Crocodile with a poison flowing through his veins is amazing."

Usopp poked Luffy's wounds in curiosity. "So, is the poison gone because he's obviously still alive?"

Chopper examined him carefully before proclaiming, "It should be worked out of his system by now but his wounds need taken care of as does Andrea-san's ankle." The marine waved the antsy reindeer away from her leg and pointed demandingly at her brother.

Satisfied that Luffy was safe, Zoro slumped down against a nearby wall. "Vivi, stop worrying about us and go." The princess tilted her head in confusion before Zoro explained further. "You need to head to the palace."

Usopp nodded his agreement. "The uprising is over but there is still work to do."

Vivi's eyes widened in realization. "Oh so let's all go together then."

Andrea chuckled heartily as she looked around at her brother's friends. "Vivi-sama, they are pirates and if they are involved even slightly in your country's politics, things could get tricky."

Sanji nodded as he lit a cigarette. Chopper pulled on Vivi's leg however. "Feed me please," he whined cutely to the princess.

"Could we rest in the palace?" Nami inquired as she wavered in front of them. "I'm about to collapse."

The minute Vivi nodded, the pirates collapsed around them. Andrea gave the princess a brief hug before walking away. "Now to take care of some business. I'll be back later," she murmured as she mentally reached for Tashigi's presence and felt it near Crocodile's.

She was pleased to hear Smoker's voice over a Den Den Mushi as Tashigi stood over Crocodile. "We captured Baroque Works' Rainfall ship which shockingly had Dance Powder. Our information matches Andrea-san's in that Crocodile served as this criminal organization's president despite his status of a Shichibukai."

"Glad I could find you Tashigi-san. Smoker-san, are you preparing for what I think you are?" Andrea inquisitively asked to be rewarded a small smile from the swordswoman.

"I'd let you have the fun but you lack the official authority, Andrea," Smoker's voice responded with great amusement. "Therefore let it be known: with the power vested in me by the World Government, I declare Crocodile in abuse of his position as a Shichibukai and strip him of the rights he once had."

* * *

-Afterwards-

* * *

Hina looked up at the rain in wonder before turning to Captain Smoker. "Did you use the Dance Powder?"

He snorted in annoyance before nibbling on his cigar. "I know the difference between right and wrong," he retorted in annoyance. "I know perfectly well it's outlawed."

"Hina apologizes then," the female marine intoned before changing the subject. "You look rather pudgy and I never got to meet this marine called Andrea. Hina wishes to take her shopping." Smoker rolled his eyes in annoyance before his fellow captain continued. "You are rather brash to use Hina's troops to randomly search a ship. Hina is greatly surprised."

"Now go take this ship and Crocodile to headquarters," Smoker ordered which ensued in an argument which was resolved via coin flip.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Do not violate my orders," Tashigi muttered in annoyance at her troops who were surveying the collapsed pirates like meat. Andrea's face hardened at the thought of having to step in but she was surprised how gutsy her fellow marine had gotten.

"But this is a chance who cannot lose!" one of her men protested before Tashigi pulled out her sword and pointed it at the very protestor.

"They are not to be touched. Will you disobey a direct order from me?" the female marine screeched as her tolerance was running low.

"But they are just laying there! We could get promoted for bringing them in!"

Andrea pulled out her dagger and stood alongside Tashigi. "I rarely agree with Tashigi-san but you will not touch them at all and any promotion you get, I will ensue it is shot down."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi held Kohza in her arms as she told him about how they meet his father in Yuba and how proud he would be to see this rain. The rebel leader could not help but agree. "Where do you think I get my nature from?" he asked the princess as he rested in her arms and allowed his weariness to win.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Mr. Toto looked at the rain and was pleased to see it fill the hole that was dug by him, that pirate Luffy, and his sister. "I told them Yuba could not be defeated by mere sand!" he proclaimed to the cloudy sky.

* * *

-That night-

* * *

Vivi winced at the bandage on her head as she looked out the palace window to watch the rain. "Rather peaceful yes?" Andrea murmured softly as she stepped in the room and sat on her brother's bed.

She nodded as she noted that Igaram also entered the room behind the marine. "I'm surprised you yourself are not staying with the marines detaining Crocodile," Vivi said in mild surprise but Andrea just smiled softly and poked her still tender ankle.

"I'm to await retrieval via one of my handlers. My position is not a normal one within the marines," she reasoned as she petted her brother's hair.

* * *

-The morning-

* * *

Andrea walked with Tashigi to the port and was surprised to see not just Smoker there. "Tashigi, nice to see you," the other female marine greeted.

"Miss Hina…" her eyes widened slightly in surprise before she turned away. "I apologize but I'd like to rest." Andrea walked with her to the ship where her superior awaited. "I'm back, Captain Smoker."

He nodded as he assessed the two women before him. "I heard about the Straw Hats."

The swordswoman bowed before them before whimpering softly, "Not only did I help the pirates, but I allowed them to escape me. I should be punished."

Andrea scoffed at Tashigi's tone but before she could speak, Smoker interjected, "Why would you apologize? Don't you feel justice was done?"

"I could only do as I was told and try to help from behind," Tashigi grimaced as she recalled the prior events. "This is not the justice I know."

"Tashigi, sometimes the higher you are doesn't mean you have more power. If you feel you can only go downward, you can never rise." The swordswoman walked away from Andrea and up the gangplank past her superior. "Will you rise or sink and drown? Why did you come along with me?"

She shook her head in sadness. "Please, I just want to rest," she murmured but Smoker refused to take that attitude.

"Idiot." He then pointed at Andrea who was looking at them expectantly from the shores. "Do something besides cry about what happened. Get stronger! Just look at that runt down there! Do you think Andrea accomplished anything by whimpering at her woes and holding her blade improperly?"

Andrea did not have the heart to scold Smoker as she saw Tashigi's shoulders shake with tears. "I will get stronger! I promise." They smiled before a marine ran up.

"Captain Smoker, you have a call!"

The two captains looked at each other curiously and Smoker raised an eyebrow at Andrea. "Don't look at me. My presence here is hush hush remember?"

Smoker took the phone call but each word from the higher officials just enraged him more and more. Andrea bit her lip as she listened to how Smoker and Tashigi were going to get promotions and commendations for their work in apprehending a treacherous Shichibukai. Hina attempted to stop Smoker from losing his temper however. "Do you really think the World Government will acknowledge the people who saved Alabasta are a group of pirates?"

The condescending call just kept getting worse. "We will to invite the two of you to an award ceremony."

Hina and Andrea saw the man's temper flare more and more. "Hina says just to accept the damn reward. There is no point to go against the government."

Smoker's body stiffened in irritation at both Hina and the speaker using the Den Den Mushi. He looked up to see Andrea to see tears prick her eyes. _So is this the shit she had to deal with before? _"We didn't beat Crocodile because we weren't able to. That's why my subordinate is crying her eyes out. I'm sick of this…"

"Smoker!" Hina exclaimed as she had a bad feeling.

"Tell those stuffy, high ranking bastards to go eat shit," he intoned as he hung up the call. Andrea saw him in a new light as Hina shook in fear of what might happen.


	50. The Saviors

Yay! This feels like a milestone for some reason :o

As always, a deep thanks to reviewers 18KmPerHour & OnePiecefan202. I appreciate you two taking the time to review :D

Everyone enjoy and let me know what you like ^_^

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 50: The Saviors**

Andrea giggled as Chopper blushed from the attention he was getting from the palace's doctor. "Where did you learn your doctoring skills?" His hooves almost knocked over a couple vials in his surprise.

The reindeer squirmed as he was unused to so much praise so Vivi took it upon herself to answer for him. "He's an outstanding doctor from the Drum Kingdom."

The elderly doctor stroked his long, lengthy beard in amazement. "That country is really famous for its doctors! But despite me being a doctor for forty years, I don't possess such skill that you do."

The tanuki shivered with the weight of attention. "Oh you're so noisy! Don't think I like the attention so just go away but don't forget about me!" At the same time however, he wore an overly pleased expression on his face that only grew bigger when Andrea gave him some juice.

Heading over to the princess, the marine observed her watch the sleeping members of the Straw Hat crew with care. "I'm going to look around, Vivi-sama. I got that feeling." The princess bobbed her head in understanding as she learned rather quickly that the marine's feelings were oddly accurate. Andrea was glad to be out of the dancer outfit she had worn quite a bit but after cleaning it, she had packed it carefully within her bag.

Upon heading to her room, she changed out of the small dress that Vivi lent her to a new dress she had purchased. It was a white dress with a blue trim around it. There was a long slit on the left leg that went about mid thigh and would allow her to use her kicks if needed and she appreciated that the dress was sleeveless. The cleavage she did not approve of as it dipped rather low but the comments that Nami had given her about captivating the man in her life. Thinking of the admiral's eyes on her had caused a rather intense blush but she ended up buying the dress and she felt with her marine jacket, that they went together rather well. Placing said cape jacket over her dress, she walked down onto the palace steps and overheard quite the amusing conversation that the guard captain, Chaka, was having with some marines. "Do you really think I'd harbor pirates here?" he scowled at two minor marines who had gathered at the steps.

"Ah… Chaka-san. Good morning to you," she simpered playfully as she gave the Zoan a one armed hug. "And good to see some fellow marines. Would you like a tour of the reconstruction efforts?" The two of them evaluated her quietly as they had heard about her role in the recent events and they agreed to escort the 'lady' on a tour. While walking down with the two marines, she winked jokingly at Sanji and Usopp as they headed up the stairs. "Usopp-kun, let my lil bro know I'll be back later."

The two men sighed as they heard quite a commotion within the palace. "Damn, he already is awake. Things are going to get loud fast."

"I slept great!" the Straw Hat captain exclaimed happily as he looked around at his gathered crew. "Where's my hat?" he asked as he rubbed his head. Thinking for a moment, his stomach growled like a sea king. "I want breakfast. I'm starving!" He looked around even further. "Where's my sister?" He stood up on the bed dramatically while spinning on the mattress. "Where's my hat, breakfast, and Andy!" he demanded childishly.

Sanji rolled his eyes as he lit up the cigarette. "You are really noisy when you wake up. And it's way past breakfast but rather dinner time."

Holding out the trademark Straw Hat, Usopp laughed at his captain's enthusiasm. "Here's your hat. Your sis found it earlier for you."

Luffy put on the hat happily but his grin tapered slightly. "But where's my sis?"

"She had business to take care of, Luffy-san," Vivi answered with a small smile. "You really are high spirited aren't you?"

Luffy scrunched his brow in confusion. "I'm always like this. Just ask Andy whenever she gets back," the young pirate pouted.

Nami rolled her eyes as she turned a page in the book that Cobra had allowed to have. "Idiot… you had a high fever and many serious wounds and you just worry about your hat, feeding yourself, and her?"

"Psh, I worry about you all too. Thanks everyone!" he chirped happily as the door clanked open and Zoro walked in followed closely by Andrea who Sanji and Usopp noticed was rather marineless.

"Ah, I see our captain is awake," the swordsman commented in amusement while Andrea tossed her little brother an apple.

"Ahhh! Zoro! Andy!" he waved happily at both of them as he chewed noisily on the fruit.

"Long time no see!" the first mate muttered before he flinched while walking.

Chopper descended upon Zoro and started gasping as he worried about the first mate exercising too much. Usopp chucked and turned towards Luffy's sister. "I noticed your escorts are gone, Andrea-san."

"Ah well they did not last in the clothing stores of this country very well. Only took fifteen minutes of me shopping without showing them my outfits to put those two to sleep. For shame…" she shook her head in amused disappointment before striding over to her brother and giving him a hug. "You slept for three days, little bro. Worried your poor sister. I wouldn't be surprised if I grew some white hairs," she wavered dramatically while Luffy chuckled at her antics.

"You already have white hairs, Andy." The woman steamed at the pirate's words, unsure of whether or not he was joking. "Wait… three days… that meant I missed fifteen meals!" He held his stomach as if in deep pain and looked at his crew with deep sadness.

"That was rather fast," Nami murmured in irritation while Usopp nodded in agreement next to her.

"What I find amazing is he counts five meals a day…" the sniper muttered as he mentally wondered where the captain put all his food.

Vivi chuckled as she saw his exuberance. "I made sure dinner was prepared so no worries about food."

The food that was brought in as an appetizer which Luffy polished off immediately. To their surprise, a woman who looked creepily like Igaram and turned out to be his wife, took the young captain's appetite as a challenge. "I worked here for thirty years. I will not disappoint your appetite!" she declared proudly.

The young captain smirked as a gleam entered his eyes. The crew noticed that Andrea wore a similar expression and shuddered in fear. "My sis is just as bad with food. She just has… what do you call it sis?"

"Restraint, you idiot," the gleam did not go away as they went to the dining room. Said restraint was nowhere to be seen in the siblings as they seemed intent on devouring everything of nutritional value, carbohydrate or vitamin within sight. Both had great speed with their consumption but while Luffy completely lacked table manners and haphazardly shoved food into his mouth without regard of where any stray morsels appeared. Andrea wielded her dinner knife and fork with great precision and after making specific cuts, quickly speared the food and consumed the food neatly. The crew noticed one thing of amusement however.

"Hey Luffy, why the hell did you take my plate?" Usopp whined as he pointed at the plate that Luffy just licked clean. "Wait, why are you stealing from everyone else's plate?"

Luffy sputtered back a response but was smacked by the orange haired navigator in annoyance. "Don't spit your food, idiot," she scowled as he had sprayed her a few times with some food particles earlier and did not want a repeat of that.

"I think the only one who hasn't had your grubby paws on their food is your sister," Sanji commented offhandedly as he was guarding his plate carefully between each morsel.

"Only because we both learned in our house if you don't eat fast and aggressive, you starve," she informed between bites of some desert animal. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Straw Hat sniper place a really spicy sauce on his own food and predictably, Luffy snatched the food and upon consuming said morsel, his face lit up a deep crimson.

"You really are stupid," Usopp deadpanned as Luffy was trying to fan his mouth.

The captain however elected to ignore the insult and after failing to communicate with Vivi's father, the king, due to his mouth being full from an excess of food, the king politely excused the pirate. "Relax. We can talk after you dine," the king assured the pirates who looked cheerful. While the group was rather boisterous and noisy due to their various demands for beverages and other dishes, the guards around the room had to admit that they rarely saw their princess so happy. Before they knew it, Usopp began to dance on the table with plates spinning on his long nose while a happily fattened Luffy clapped at his crewmates' antics. Andrea sat back comfortably as she watched the cheering from the pirates and saw the royals and their staff relax in their presence.

It did not take long for the party to be content with food in their bellies and after dividing into guys and girls respectively, they headed for the bathhouse. For the men, Cobra led them into the spacious room. "This is our best bath which is typically used in the rainy season."

The men gaped at it in wonder before Usopp and Luffy ran but slipped on the slick stone. After groaning and mourning their wounds, they played a bit in the water such as mocking Zoro's training methods which only made said swordsman, who was currently assisting Chopper with his fur, groan. Sanji however had other things in mind. "Where is the woman's bath?" he asked sneakily and while denied by Igaram at first, they were answered by a most unlikely source.

"Over that wall," the king answered which made his advisor gasp in shock and the sniper get a sneaky gleam in his eye.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi was scrubbing carefully at the navigator's back, trying to be mindful of her wounds, while she was receiving a back massage from a rather sleepy marine. "The steam here is rather nice," Andrea murmured listlessly as she wrapped her towel tighter around herself as she sensed a certain presence.

"It would be nice to have a bath like this on a ship," Nami contemplated before turning to the princess. However before she could respond, she spotted some familiar presences over the wall.

Vivi became appalled as she wrapped herself even more tightly while Andrea looked at the men with a bored expression on her face. "What are you idiots doing?!" she shrieked in discomfort.

Luffy at least looked slightly guilty. "I wanted to make sure none of them saw my sister," he maintained stubbornly as he went down from the wall but all the women knew out of the men, he sadly was the most innocent.

"Stupid men," Nami muttered while standing up and walking towards them. She whipped off her towel suddenly. "Happiness Punch!" she exclaimed happily before following up with, "A hundred thousand Beri from each of you!" After the men retreated, some from embarrassment and others from nosebleeds due to perversions, the three women sank into the water. Nami turned to the princess sadly, "We might end up leaving today," she admitted.

Vivi's eyes widened as Andrea also nodded. "I'll be going soon too."

Seeing Vivi's shock, Nami began to explain. "Luffy is now fully recovered and with marines around the coast, our ship is in danger."

Andrea sank deeply in the water, leaving her head exposed. "My handlers will be here soon and despite them going easy on Luffy," Nami's eyes widened dramatically upon hearing this news, "the fact that Alabasta is being lenient on his crew may not go over well. Smoker is under a lot of flak too." The two women looked at her curiously. "He told some of the higher ups to eat shit because they had the nerve to promote him and Tashigi-san."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy smiled as Cobra thanked him and felt the scene in the bathing area was just right. They were all equal here and here, Cobra could give his thanks without someone butting in and proclaiming it improper.

* * *

-Later-

* * *

Andrea had walked with her little brother to the temporary marine base which was set up. "This is far enough, Luffy-kun," she murmured softly as the marines came up to them.

"Sis…" she looked at him in confusion. "Just sleep. It's obvious you keep being too strong when it's ok to be weak." Before she could retort she did yawn and her eyes blinked as if surprised at how exhausted she really was. A moment later, she slumped as her narcolepsy took a hold. Hoisting his sister in his arms, the marines nearby looked wary. He grinned to the men around him, "Sorry. I'm not ready to give my sister back yet." He took off running to the palace like a bat out of hell.

* * *

-That Night-

* * *

"We have to go now," Luffy commanded as he looked around at his crew. They were not exactly pleased when he showed up at the palace with his sister unconscious then set to tying her up, but what could they really say that they would obey.

"This is the right time to go," Zoro agreed. "Especially if our captain was stupid enough to 'capture' Andrea-san in front of their minibase."

"I didn't capture her. I just think she needs a vacation," he retorted as his crew waved off his excuse.

"Anyway, it's your decision," Usopp said as he looked at his friend carefully and despite being hungry, his crew knew that in the end, what he would pick as a priority.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Chaka held some wanted posters to Igaram with worry. "We need to tell them but how?"

"I hope they can leave the country but with what young Luffy did…" They saw Zoro's bounty as a solid sixty million Beri but Luffy 'kidnapping' a high ranking marine bumped up his bounty from what it might have been to a respectable 125 million Beri. "He defeated a Shichibukai and captured a marine… will there be mercy for him?" Igaram questioned as he ran to warn the pirates.


	51. Banding Together

Please enjoy this chapter :)

Thanks to OnePiecefan202 for your review! And I spy a new follow :D

Soon the drama between the Straw Hats and marines will pick up :o

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 51: Banding Together**

Igaram stared at the empty beds in wonder and shock. He noticed the blue haired princess sitting next to the window in a chair. "Princess, where did they go?" he wondered.

"Igaram, you seem so worried," the princess mused with a sad smile. "They are pirates after all so of course they'd return to the sea and there's no way Luffy would leave his sister."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Hina looked at the captured ship with annoyance. That new recruit, Jango, really struck her nerves. "It took them that long to secure a ship… how disgraceful." She turned towards one of her underlings with a question. "Are the ships prepared?"

"Yes ma'am! The coast of Alubarna is patrolled by thirty marine ships." She nodded her acknowledgement but the minor marine continued. "The Straw Hats ship is missing from where it was previously docked however."

"Do you mean to say they left?" she muttered with rage thickening her voice.

The subordinate shook his head in fear and awe of her beauty. "The whole area is covered. There is no way they could have slipped past."

"Search for their ship at once!" she ordered and turned around to be assaulted by flowers from Jango and Fullbody. "You two, drop those flowers. We're going after Straw Hat Luffy and will attempt to recover the marine Andrea."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The starry, night sky was beautiful and peaceful with the only sound the gentle pitter patter of ducks speeding across the sand dunes. A slight wind stirred through the group and Zoro coughed before leaning backwards and finding a better position on his duck. "This is rather comfortable," he mused as he looked over at the crew.

"I'm sad about leaving this kingdom," Usopp wailed. "I wouldn't be able to forget such an epic battle." The sounds of chewing and piece of meat hitting his face drew his attention to his captain who had his marine sister, Andrea, hung over the backside of the duck like luggage as he reasoned that was the easiest way to travel with her when she was passed out. "Hey Luffy! Are you ever going to finish eating?"

"Food from this country is great!" the rubber man answered happily while chewing on some meat. "Saaaaaanji! Cook some of this later!"

"I asked Igaram's wife, Terracotta, for some recipes and the names of various spices used," the chef answered as he took a glance at Luffy's sister. "Andrea-san said she knows some of the cooking method too but you shouldn't treat your sister as baggage for the duck," he scolded the raven haired pirate who laughed heartily.

Chopper looked at Nami who was being oddly quiet. "Nami, are you ok? Do you feel sick?" he inquired worriedly. The orange hair navigator merely stayed silent and sighed.

Concern gripped Luffy as he waved a drumstick of meat towards her. "I'll give you one of my meats, Nami. But only one!"

Ignoring Luffy's glutton fueled idiocy, Sanji went about attempting to console her. "If you're worried about Vivi, I understand your feelings but it's useless to wonder. Perk up! She wouldn't want to see you troubled over nothing."

Nami bit her lip as she waved her fingers in front of her. "I remembered… I forgot to get Beri reward out of Vivi…" she mused sadly.

Zoro ranted at her in annoyance. "You really are a money loving bitch!" he roared while Luffy had a similar complaint for his navigator.

"You really just were in it for money?" Andrea groaned as Luffy's shouting shifted the duck and made her wiggle in discomfort.

"Money is Nami's fetish," she mumbled softly and a second later, started snoring again. The whole crew heard the marine's quiet words and began to laugh so rambunctiously to the point that Usopp fell off the duck he was riding.

* * *

-A little later-

* * *

A rather cheerful okama was posing on the mast of the Going Merry when he noticed the Straw Hat crew approach quickly on a group of ducks. "You made me wait so long, darlings! Long time no see! Miss me?" Luffy nodded towards the boisterous okama while his crew unloaded luggage to take onto the ship. He jumped from the mast before tears filled his eyes on seeing their faces. "Good bye! I want to know if we're destined, that we'll be friends." The former Baroque Works agent became annoyed at the lack of response from the pirates. "We're old friends meeting again and I don't receive a good reception!"

"Friends with you?" Luffy scowled as he carefully carried his dozing sister onto the Going Merry. "You're an enemy remember?"

"Psh," the okama waved his hands dismissively. "That's all in the past so don't worry about it. Baroque Works is disbanded anyway so not all of us are your enemies anymore," he explained quickly before the crew would become more agitated.

Luffy put his sister down onto the deck where she curled up in a ball. He turned to address the flamboyant man with a mocking tone. "Enemy or not, I might not let you onboard anyway."

"Such thanks I get for doing you a favor!" the former agent dramatically declared as he sighed sadly.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy demanded in annoyance. His loud voice made Andrea stir slightly before she rolled over.

Rolling his eyes, the okama motioned towards the sleeping marine. "Think about it seriously. If this ship wasn't moved, what do you think would have happened to it? Especially because you kidnapped this marine."

"The ship would have been confiscated and Andrea-san likely unable to see Luffy again." Nami reasoned as she put a blanket over the marine's sleeping form.

The former Mr. 2 rolled his eyes as he moved his hands in the air frantically. "The ship was almost nearly taken. Are you really unaware of the marine activity here? This area is swarming with them and I thought it'd be nice to lend a hand."

Luffy's eyes filled with wonder. "So you saved the Going Merry so the marines wouldn't take it away?"

The okama nodded as he gave a thumbs up. Tears sparkled in his eyes dramatically, "Because, aren't we friends?" Chopper, Usopp, Luffy and the cheerful Bon Kurei danced happily before Zoro burst the bubble.

"So because of the marine blockade, you can't escape either," he reasoned and the okama held his chest dramatically where his heart was. "Isn't that why you wanted help?"

"This is when enemies bond together to escape such situations!" the okama wailed as he danced to the cheering of the innocent members of the crews. Nami shook her head at their idiocy but a slight whimpering noise caught her attention and she walked towards Andrea who began to shake. Her right palm was glowing a deep crimson.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Hina began to pull on her gloves when a marine ran up to her. "We found the Straw Hats ship! Chances are the captive marine is on board also!"

She nodded before addressing her men. "Prepare for battle!" she declared.


	52. This Ain't a Scene or a Kidnapping

A thank you to OnePiecefan202. The attempts to retrieve Andrea and Luffy's insistence on her staying will become quite amusing later on

Now... this is a lengthy chapter! Please enjoy :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 52: This Ain't a Scene or a Kidnapping**

The navigator on the marine admiral's ship paled as he saw the latest wanted poster as well as the attached note as to the reason for the massive increase for the Straw Hat's captain. Bracing himself for the devil fruit user's reaction due to both the news and the time he would deliver it, he knocked tentatively on the admiral's cabin door then after a moment, received confirmation to enter. Before he could be ranted or raved at, he shoved the wanted poster at the magma fruit user who swallowed the question he was about to spew. After glancing through the posters, he was handed the report that came with the posters. "This is fishy. Why would Andrea be kidnapped by her own brother?"

"Considering how she spoke of him, tis unlikely," the navigator agreed. "You heard those rumors about him defeating Crocodile correct?"

"Of course. That came up when I was in an emergency conference call with the other two admirals earlier today. Also apparently Smoker told the higher ups to eat shit." A wry smirk crossed his face as he remembered the pride with which Aokiji had when he delivered that news. He held the report tightly before glancing back at his navigator. "I'll look into this in the morning. We'll stay anchored as there is little point to continuing to Alabasta if she isn't even there," the admiral reasoned.

* * *

-That morning-

* * *

Igaram was nursing a sore jaw that he obtained from his wife after bursting in on the dress making session for Vivi's speech when Chaka came up to them. "Just wanted to let you know… there is a battle breaking out on the coast and while this normally wouldn't concern us but…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"I just want them to fire their damn cannons!" Luffy proclaimed as he stood on the Going Merry's figurehead to goad the marines. "I'll just bounce it back towards them!"

Usopp flailed in panic as he looked and saw how many metal spears were stuck in the ship. "Luffy, if these break through the hull, our ship will sink so stop goading them. We should just give back Andrea and slip back away."

Luffy's eyes hardened dangerously as he glared at the sniper. "My sister is sleeping. I will not disturb her to give her away like that," he maintained stubbornly. A couple more spears were launched at the ship and the crew could hear an enraged scowling from below deck.

Nami sighed as she massaged her forehead. Things just had to get this complicated. "Well think of something," the redhead demanded in annoyance.

Chopper emerged in his giant human form and was waving planks around frantically. "I can't cover anymore holes they make!"

"We can't really just protect each side like this," Sanji reasoned as he counted out the ships. "There are eight boats which already is a disadvantage."

The marine ships merely got closer and when they saw who each other were, the taunts only began to fill the sky. "Oi! Hypnotizer dude, I thought you were a pirate?"

Sanji noticed to his displeasure that the other marine who was hurling insults at them was some idiot who had caused trouble at the Baratie before. "Luffy, who is that weird guy with the heart glasses?"

Fullbody shook a fist angrily. "We meet yet again, you violent chef. We will sink you all! I'm much stronger now."

"We have to save that marine before sinking the ship," Jango muttered as he pulled out a circle attached to a string. "I'm not some mere monster of a pirate anymore anyway. Now please look at this circle."

In the commotion, no one noticed a cannon being set up until the ship that Fullbody was on had been sunk. Usopp puffed out his chest proudly while Luffy cheered happily. "That all went according to my calculations!" the sniper boasted with good reason.

"Good job long nose," the okama admitted before pointing to the south. "Sink those two ships and we can make our escape by rushing there."

However, the former foe of the Straw Hats was tackled by his subordinates. "Mr. Bon Kurei sir! We have bad news. Black Cage is here."

The okama paled considerably, even under his excessive amounts of make up as he looked dramatically at the marine ships. Luffy saw the fear and merely tilted his head in confusion. The okama took it upon himself to explain. "Black Cage Hina is the local marine commander around here. We need to escape now!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Hina glanced briefly at a dossier about the Straw Hat pirates before tossing it to the side. "Hina wants the ship steered towards them with the others falling back," she flicked her hair to the side before continuing. "The other boats being there will get in the way. Our priority is to secure the marine, Andrea then to apprehend the Straw Hats."

"Yes ma'am!" shouts of confirmation rang out on the ships under her command.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The former Mr. 2 was flailing about in a mass panic as he motioned to the ships when he noticed Luffy's lack of urgency. "Why aren't you moving the ship? There's a small chance to escape by heading south! Otherwise, the ship will sink."

Luffy shrugged his head to the side as he adjusted the blanket on his still dozing sister to be more comfortable. She murmured sleepily a thanks and he glanced at the okama. "Just go which way you want but we're going this way." The former agent's eyes bulged in disbelief as he looked for a voice of reason among the crew.

Unfortunately, even that voice of reason was against him. "We have a meeting on the east coast at 12 to meet," the orange haired navigator informed in a very matter of fact tone.

The okama snorted as he turned away. "So troublesome. There is treasure worth waiting for I suppose. Go die for all I care," he declared miserably.

Luffy laughed at the misunderstanding. "We're going to pick up a friend," he proclaimed very happily to the okama's surprise.

The man dressed as a woman quickly got over his shock as his heart was deeply touched. Standing on the edge of the ship, he addressed the crew on his little boat that was putt putting happily next to the Going Merry. "If we run away now, we are not worthy of being okama! We have to sacrifice ourselves for our friends or we will never be in peace!" He turned dramatically back towards the Straw Hat crew with tears in his eyes. "Straw Hat Luffy and you crew of rascals, listen to me."

The decision was made to pretend to be the pirate crew and although skeptical, the crew of the former Mr. 2 was very loyal to him and followed his orders to the letter. They fooled the marines and led them away from the Going Merry. As the okama leapt onto the marine vessel after unveiling the ruse, he could barely hear Luffy's voice over the sounds of battle. "Bon-chan! We'll never forget you!"

Zoro heard a soft sniffle and out of the corner of his eye, saw a lone tear travel down the marine Andrea's cheek.

The commotion had allowed them to get to the east coast of Alabasta with relatively no other problems and the crew slumped around on the deck as they could hear part of Vivi's speech which was being broadcasted across the nation. The green haired swordsman saw his grumpy captain pout towards the coast as if willing Vivi to magically pop out of nowhere. "That speech is definitely Vivi's."

Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette as he strained to hear part of the words. "That's the ceremony planned in Alubarna. I suppose she decided not to come."

Luffy snorted in annoyance. "It sounds like her alright…"

His first mate attempted to nudge the rubber man out of his slump. "We need to go. It's almost 12."

The stubborn captain shook his head. "I know she'll come! I bet she's over there so let's dock and look for her."

Shrieks alerted them to Usopp's panic long before the sniper ran down to the middle of the deck where most of the crew had congregated. "The marines caught up with us," he wailed.

As Zoro tried to get information out of Usopp, Sanji attempted to persuade Luffy away from this folly. "Just forget it. She's a princess of a reborn country now. That's different than the rogue princess who wanted to save her country and that's who was with us."

A shout had alerted the Straw Hats to the coast where they saw Vivi in a beautiful dress waving to them accompanied by her duck companion, Carue. Luffy motioned towards the coast confidently, "I told you she'd come. Let's turn towards the coast."

"I'm here to say goodbye," the princess murmured sadly on the loud speaker attached to the snail in her hands. Luffy's eyes widened in surprise as she continued, "I can't go with you all. Thank you for all you have done for me."

The ships that were about to catch the Going Merry paused in confusion as one of the marines had used a pair of binoculars to identify the lone figure as the Princess Vivi. "Shouldn't she be at the ceremony in Alubarna?" the men wondered.

Vivi took a deep breath before finding the courage to finish. "I still want to go with you but right now, I love this country too much so I can't go." Tears started running down her face in sorrow. "Even if I want to stay here, if there is the slightest chance we meet again, will you have me as a friend?"

The marines were now in a tizzy over what they heard. "The princess being a friend of the Straw Hats? How unlikely and suspicious!"

Luffy was about to shout an answer to Vivi when Nami covered his mouth. "You idiot," the navigator hissed in annoyance.

"She stopped you from making a big mistake," the wistful and sleepy voice of Andrea intoned as she sat up. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and with the blanket wrapped around her, she could be mistaken for a burrito. "Look who are around you, little bro."

Maintaining the cover on her captain's mouth, Nami continued the explanation. "We can't answer her since the marines saw her. If they realize we are her friends, she'll be marked as a criminal. So we need to part quietly."

Luffy nodded as he understood what she meant to say. Unwrapping the bandage that had been on his arm, he stuck the left arm marked with an 'X' into the air and watched as his crew followed suit. Andrea watched the scene proudly and noticed the princess and her faithful duck raise their lefts. The Straw Hat captain gave a small smile before ordering his crew about. "Let's set sail guys."

"Wait…" Andrea looked at the marine ships on the horizon. "Why don't you let me go with them?"

Luffy looked at her with a sneaky smile. "You need to get stronger sis and I don't want you with them right now."

* * *

-A little later-

* * *

Hina scowled as she sent her arm through a pirate to apprehend him. She scowled at the Den Den Mushi in her other hand. "You make Hina mad, Smoker."

"But you appear to be well informed," the logia's voice rang out smoothly from the snail next to the marine captain.

"When Straw Hat Luffy escaped, you seemed pretty happy," she smiled around her cigarette as she looked on the horizon. "Despite the marine Andrea being captured, things went rather smoothly it seems," she muttered contemplatively.

After ribbing his fellow captain a bit, Smoker hung up the Den Den Mushi with a satisfied smirk as he lounged out on the deck of his ship shirtless while smoking his trademark cigar. The creak of a cabin door alerted him to a familiar presence. "Smoker-san," Tashigi murmured softly as she stepped out of the cabin.

"Hello, pretty lady. Do your legs feel better now?" The swordswoman blushed profusely at her captain's casual comment.

"Please don't call me that," she stated softly as he poured her a cup of coffee. "Thank you," she croaked as she sat on a chair next to him. She glanced at the desk before them to see two wanted posters containing really familiar faces.

"You recall Straw Hat Luffy's partner I believe. The man known as Roronoa Zoro killed around a hundred bounty hunters at Whiskey Peaks and defeated the man known as Daz Bones within Alabasta." Smoker took a drink of coffee while Tashigi processed the news in shock.

"Daz the Assassin?"

Smoker nodded as he continued to explain. "That's what he was referred to as in the West Blue but here he was more commonly referred to as Mr. 1. He was yet another of the famous recruits that Crocodile gathered for his organization but yet he was so easily defeated. Now with this in mind, Tashigi," he gave a small smile at her as he took a brief sip of coffee. "We will pursue the Straw Hat crew."

"Yes sir!" she chirped happily.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Those marines aren't chasing us anymore," Zoro noted cheerfully as he polished his swords and he had even been kind enough to allow Andrea to polish her dagger with his supplies.

"*Sigh*"

"I guess we lost them. Pity for me," Andrea chuckled as she buffed her blade and glanced at herself in the reflection.

"*Sigh*"

"What's with you guys?" Zoro demanded as the depressing sighs were annoying him.

The glare from the swordsman did little to deter the sadness radiating from the rest of the crew who was hanging over the railing of the Going Merry. The sorrow was almost tangible with tears running down each of their faces. "We're lonely!" the crew collectively stated.

"Stop being a bunch of cry babies," Zoro ordered in annoyance at his captain and the crew. "I can't believe you lot still won't accept her not coming with us. If I knew you all would act like this, I would have dragged her aboard." Andrea snorted at his logic while the crew started to insult the swordsman.

"You're such a barbarian!" Chopper declared with a dramatically pointed hoof.

"Despicable," the navigator scowled. "And you had the nerve to insult me when I joked about asking Vivi for the money!"

"Shitty devil," sneered Sanji as he puffed some smoke around him.

"Three swords," Luffy muttered just to have Usopp nudge him.

"That's not really an insult," the sniper sighed at the captain's lack of cleverness.

"Four swords then!"

"You just added one…" Usopp facepalmed as Zoro waved off his crew.

"Fine. Just sit there bawling then." He was about to turn back to his precious swords when he noticed Andrea tense and tighten her grip on her dagger.

"Ah… we're finally out to see. Good work everybody," a sultry voice purred as the woman it belonged to strode out of the ship's cabin.

Zoro hands flew to his blades immediately and the clink of the blade being drawn was in tune with the adrenaline about to flow. "You must be here for revenge."

Nami shrieked as she backed away. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, such a pretty lady!" Sanji cooed as he looked lovingly at the female specimen before him.

"We have an enemy onboard!" Usopp shouted loudly as he felt dangerously close to wetting himself.

Chopper attempted to hide himself behind the mast to distance himself from the foe that everyone was worried about. "Who are you?" he demanded in fear.

"Oh you're alive," Luffy stated simply as he tilted his head. "I guess my sister didn't kill you."

"That's something that will change," the marine snarled as she charged forward with her dagger. Zoro and Nami also dashed forward with their weapons only to be disabled by the paramecia's devil fruit.

"There's no need to be so angry and to point your dangerous weapons at me," Nico Robin simpered as she reached behind her to pull out a chair.

"When did you board our ship?" Nami howled in rage as she recognized the clothing that the brunette was wearing as her own.

"I was simply here reading and then I took a bath. Oh and I'm assuming these clothes are yours so just so you know, I'll be borrowing them." Robin gave the navigator a smile that did not reach her eyes before turning to her fellow paramecia. "Monkey D. Luffy," she murmured kindly as she addressed him.

"What?" Luffy had no idea why she was here and started to pick his nose.

"You forgot what you said didn't you? What a shame." Robin tutted before turning to unfold her chair.

"Don't pick your nose! And what did you tell this beautiful lady?" Sanji demanded as he rushed to defend this maiden's honor.

"Just please leave us alone," whimpered Usopp from behind the mast as he was scared of the woman who disabled two of his crewmates and the now agitated marine so easily.

"Don't lie to me. I didn't say anything!" Luffy whined as he genuinely tried to think of what he might have said.

The former Baroque Works agent sat on the chair she set up before smirking at the captain. "I remember clearly so just take responsibility."

The atmosphere felt heavy at the combined gloom and dangerous killing intent radiating from the most unlikely of pairs: Sanji and Andrea. Chopper looked around in confusion as he completely missed the other way the statement could have been taken and was surprised to see Sanji attempt to choke his captain while Andrea stood behind him cracking her knuckles angrily. Luffy was confused, irritated and just plain annoyed as he shoved away Sanji and when Andrea tried to tackle him, pinned her to the ground easily and sat on her back. "You two really are weird." He glared at the raven haired stowaway who just giggled at the antics. "What do you want?"

"Let me join your crew," she smiled calmly as the crew exploded in a mixture of shock, lust, confusion, and anger from the various people onboard.

"Just because you fed bullshit to Crocodile about the poneglyph and held an antidote to the poison that was in my little brother's veins doesn't give you the right to demand a place here." Andrea snared unhappily before her eyes widened. "Oh my… you really took his words about him not wanting your life to end as the temple collapsed to heart didn't you?"

Robin merely chuckled. "Now I have nowhere to go so let me stay," she reasoned simply and was highly amused to see Andrea's rage increase even more as Luffy's face showed his mind was made up.

"Oh I didn't realize it like that. Okay then. You can stay," he stated before turning to the crew. "We got a new crewmate!"

"Luffy?!" the crew shouted again, in a mixture of shock, lust, confusion and anger.

"She's not that bad," he reasoned and while the words somewhat quelled the crew, he noticed his sister with a pointedly rebellious look on her face. "Be nice sis and don't be a bossy bitch."

"If it wasn't for the fact three or rather now, four of you could disable me, I would kill her and find my way to a marine vessel." Andrea slumped onto the deck of the ship in defeat.

It did not take long for the woman from Ohara to integrate herself with the more gullible and easily fooled of the crew. Telling her tale had the ears of everyone and she had amused Chopper and Luffy with her devil fruit powers while simultaneously frightening Usopp with her stories of how she was a rather decent assassin. "Idiots," a harsh voice intoned above the table where the archeologist and the sniper were sitting. "I know you were the vice president of that evil organization and was Crocodile's partner. Just because Luffy is ok with it and fooled doesn't mean the same for all of us. One wrong step and I'll get rid of you. I know for a fact I have back up too."

Robin chuckled as she pulled out a bag from her shirt. "So I suppose I'll keep these jewels for myself," she bemoaned sadly just to see the navigator zoom to her side immediately.

"Ah… I really like you!" Nami proclaimed as she nuzzled the bag of gems happily.

"Nami really got bribed…" Usopp couldn't believe his eyes as Zoro and Andrea shared his sentiments.

"Underhanded…"

"Yet a predictable and exploitable weakness," the marine completed the swordsman's thoughts as she surveyed the dark haired woman with intense dislike. Their disbelief only increased on seeing Sanji practically pirouette onto deck bearing a dessert for their newest crewmate. "He scares me sometimes in a weird way," Andrea admitted.

"He's just that type of guy," Zoro admitted as he continued to glare at Robin. "We must be the strong foundation of this crew."

Usopp nodded as he stood tall. "We really need to watch over the crew for its safety."

"Oi! Usopp!" the sniper turned towards his captain who had widened his eyes and had a couple of Robin's hands sticking out of his hat. "I'm Chopper!"

The swordsman and marine watched in disgust as yet another crewmate fell to the charms of the clever woman. Before they could vocalize their irritation, Robin came up to the pair. "You two look rather cozy. Am I interrupting?"

"Why would we be cozy?!" both shouted in shock as they looked at each other. "I/she got/has a boyfriend!"

Robin merely giggled as she looked back towards Luffy. "Is it always this cheerful on the ship?"

"Yeah, they are like that a lot," admitted Zoro who still held a bit of suspicion for her.

"Really?" Robin said as she smiled charmingly.

"Yeah. That's just how my dumb little bro is like," Andrea snorted but before she could rip into Robin with righteous fury, a familiar ringing rang through. "Luffy! Where the hell did you put my Den Den Mushi?"

"Oh it's here!" he cheered as he found where he hid her bag to prevent her from escaping them easily. Before the marine could reach for it, her little brother took it upon himself to answer. "Hello?"

"… Whoever this is, is Andrea-san there?" The familiar voice made Andrea's eyes widen with relief and warmth while Robin's heart burst with fear.


	53. Protective Little Brother

So now Microsoft Word decided to not spell check anymore since all the Japanese names/words made its spellchecker go berserk so I had to go through 175 pages of squiggly lines... X_X

Anyway, I am happy to see two more follows! Yay!

A thanks to both OnePiecefan202 and 18KmPerHour for your reviews! As a note to OnePiecefan202, Kuzan's codename is Aokiji :)

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 53: Protective Little Brother**

"Are you her boyfriend?" Luffy asked to the embarrassed horror of his older sister. The deep crimson blush on her face revealed all Luffy needed to know. Before the speaker on the phone could answer however, Luffy had a question for him. "Are you stronger than me? Cause I'd only allow someone stronger than me to be with my sister."

"You're weird," Andrea scowled as she attempted to reach for the snail. Luffy however stretched out of the way and gently pushed his sister back. "Let me talk to Sakazuki now. I haven't in ages cause of all that crap going on in Alabasta."

"Maybe later," Luffy decided before turning his attention back to the Den Den Mushi. "Now… she said your name is Sakazuki. Are you stronger than me?"

"At this point especially, easily son of Dragon," he intoned in a serious voice. The casualness of the statement made everyone in the crew look at Luffy and even Andrea in something akin to fear. Zoro and Sanji looked at each other with worry at the thought of someone so easily stating that they were easily stronger than their captain.

"Oi don't give me those looks," Andrea snapped in annoyance. "We're not blood siblings. My father is just as scary though I suppose you could say," mused the marine who inwardedly giggled as the crew did not relax in the slightest.

"So Monkey D. Luffy… do you have the intention of releasing your sister back into marine custody? I'm afraid even taking that action will not cause your bounty to lower as your actions were quite foolish." The marine smirked as he decided hiding who he really was from the crew would be advantageous in this situation. He knew Andrea would also realize this and doing so would present nothing but advantages.

"Oh my bounty went up? How much?!" the captain exclaimed in joy as his crew groaned with the realization that things just got dramatically more difficult.

"Well your involvement with the reinstating the trust of the people of Alabasta had in the royal family has been hushed up. Also your fight with Crocodile has had its credit given to the marines Smoker and Tashigi. Where your bounty normally would have gone to a hundred million Beri due to you defeating the former Shichibukai, your reckless actions in abducting your sister right in front of an impromptu marine base led to it increasing to a hundred twenty-five million." Luffy began to cheer but was interrupted once again. "Also, your first mate has received a bounty of sixty million."

"I was somewhat aware of this," Andrea muttered as she glared at her brother who still had not given her the Den Den Mushi. "I was present when Smoker received the message about his promotion."

"Oh, Smokey's getting promoted?" Luffy howled in joy as his sister sighed. "So I guess not letting you go is working out after all!"

"Now the question is…" the stern voice of Sakazuki sounded from the phone, "Will you let, as you put it, my girlfriend go back to her duties as a marine?"

Luffy thought about it for a moment before a wide grin took over his face. Andrea groaned as she knew that look. "Nah. Come and get her. You're prolly a marine like her right?"

A deep chuckle came from the receiver which made Robin shiver in fear. Zoro and Andrea noted this but the marine seemed very pleased judging by his tone. "Of course I am. Now why won't you let her go?"

"She needs to get stronger and I want her safe," the young pirate reasoned. Even his sister could not fault her younger brother's protective instincts. "She'd likely do the same to me if our situation was the other way!"

"Likely," Andrea admitted before grinning wickedly. "That would be living up to my legacy a bit too well though if I was a pirate. Maybe I'd get arrested by a handsome marine like you, Sakazuki-kun?"

"Who knows… now Monkey D. Luffy, you realize you are courting a bit of trouble by not releasing your sister?" the admiral said and despite his relatively calm tone, he was losing patience for his protégé's brother.

The pirate began to pick his nose despite protests from his sister and the crew. "Yeah but I don't care. I'll only let a marine stronger than me take my sister back to her job. Are you going to fight me?"

"As truly tempting as that sounds… I'm not close to your likely location. Maybe another will bring her back to me." Luffy grinned widely at the marine's response. "Now may I talk to her in private?"

"Please Luffy… I want to talk to him really bad. I got something important to tell him!" Andrea pleaded with her younger brother but to no avail.

"Nah. Bye bye sir!" he hung up on the admiral with a grin and the action set off quite the chain reaction. Robin turned to Andrea and immediately used her devil fruit powers to restrain her. "Hey! What are you doing to Andy?" he demanded angrily.

The paramecia ignored her captain and maintained her position. "You're in a relationship with _him_?" Robin spat with venom and despite the perilous situation, the marine wore a wide grin that reminded the crew of Luffy.

"Why yes I am. Care to enlighten the crew as to your history with him?" Robin snorted in a rather unladylike manner with disgust before releasing Andrea. "Pity I couldn't get some time alone with him. I rather do miss him."

"So you could tell him about me joining this crew? Do you really hate your brother that you'd endanger his crew?" Robin hissed and despite the harshness of her tone, the statement did bring quite a few questions to the Straw Hat crew's minds.

"Say that I hate my brother again and your guts will decorate the deck," threatened Andrea as she turned away from her and walked away from the crew. Luffy looked between the two of them as if expecting a fight and when nothing more happened, he blinked in confusion.

"Are you both on your periods?" he asked cluelessly which earned him a slap upside the head from Nami and a kick from Sanji.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji looked at the wanted posters in his hand with great interest. Hearing the conversation replayed to him by his fellow admiral was quite amusing and his other fellow admiral agreed. "Straw Hat Luffy actually hung up on you?" Kizaru roared in laughter. "Did he realize who you were?"

"Not at all," muttered Akainu in annoyance. "What was more irritating was the fact it seemed that Andrea wished to pass on some important information and he cut in."

"Well… you are seducing his sister," teased the ice logia. "It is actually reassuring he is protective towards his sister. We have heard some horror stories about pirates who would exploit their family's connections."

"I would never allow that to happen," declared Akainu with fiery anger. "Now… which of you are closest to Alabasta currently? I would think that retrieving her would be a good priority."

Kuzan looked around as he had been riding his bike when he received the call. "I haven't a damn clue…" he admitted before laying down on the little ice shelf he made. "I think I'll take a nap and figure it out later."

Before the other two admirals could protest, the ice logia hung up on the conference call and relaxed as he watched the clouds.


	54. That's Not Rain!

Thanks both 18KmPerHour and OnePiecefan202 for your reviews! Thee relationship between Robin & Andrea will be quite a mess for a while xD

Enjoy the chapter everyone!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 54: That's Not Rain!**

Tension between the two brunettes on the Going Merry had not eased since the hung up call from admiral Akainu and if anything, intensified with any action any crew member had tried. Luffy had tried to lock them in the girls' cabin together just to have his sister threaten to blow a hole in the wall and Robin restrain him with her powers to ensure he unlocked the door. Usopp tried to put the two of them at a table and talk about their pasts just to be met with two icy, stern glares. Sanji attempted to serve them both delicacies but the realization that both were served the same course displeased Andrea to the point she would simply head to the kitchen to prepare her own food. Chopper himself had been worried silly since Luffy had vocalized concerns about both women's 'monthlies' and but despite their feud, neither of them could take out their anger on the innocent reindeer. "It's just my brother being an idiot, Chopper. Trust me, if I have any problems, you'll be the first to know," the marine reassured him and surprisingly Robin agreed.

"Captain-san is only showing concern for his crew. That's a nice trait to have is it not, Marine-san?"

"Addressing me so politely. I should feel honored," Andrea scathingly replied and just like that, Chopper found himself sitting in the middle of another brewing argument. Zoro, sensing his crewmate's distress, decided to defuse the situation.

"Oi! Andrea-san, let's spar with our blades," the green haired swordsman shouted and to his relief, the marine grinned widely in a way that was similar to their captain's.

"You're on!" She reached to her side and placed her hand comfortably onto her blade sheath. "So… all out or?"

"Just our weapons. Otherwise I'd be worried," the first mate smirked as the marine tightened her grip on the dagger and pulled out the blade slowly.

Robin, rolling her eyes at the duo's show of force turned to her orange haired crewmate. "Navigator-san, how is the log pose?"

"We're on course, Robin," Nami replied cautiously as she wanted to avoid being drawn into the catfight between the two raven haired females. To her relief, Andrea was completely absorbed by the spar as her dagger's blade sang through the air to collide with Zoro's Wado Ichimonji.

"Namiiiiiiiiiii!" Luffy called out happily to the navigator. "Will the next island have snow?"

The orange haired woman shivered in memory of the last winter island they were on. "I can't believe you want snow again…"

"From what I saw of Alabasta's records, the next island is an autumn one," Robin supplied as she kept a wary eye on the marine. Zoro was toying with her as her weapon skills were rather substandard compared to his and effortlessly pushed her back with his blade just to be astonished to hear a slight pitter patter next to him.

"Is it really raining?" he murmured as he looked at the sky. Andrea groaned and sheathed her blade as she went looking for her marine jacket.

"Ugh, I hate rain! Or cold for that instance," she scowled as she pulled on the jacket to Robin's immense displeasure.

"That's too big to be rain," Sanji pointed out as he attempted to reach for whatever was falling from the sky.

"Hail maybe?" Usopp contemplated but Andrea looked up in fear.

"No… something's falling from the sky," the marine exclaimed as more debris started falling down. Chips and splinters of wood pattered harmlessly onto the deck but everyone turned their eyes to the sky just to have fear fill them.

"How is that falling from the sky?" gaped Luffy as he lay back and pointed at the sight before them.

"A galleon…" Nami sputtered in fear. Andrea pushed a lock of hair behind her ears as she tensed her right palm and raised it to the air.

"Cover your faces!" she ordered as she launched an upside down funnel shaped light upwards. Woodchips harmlessly clattered downwards but thankfully nothing large rained down upon the chip yet around them, chunks of the once glorious galleon floated on the water.

"How is this possible…?" Sanji's cigarette dropped from his mouth as he stared upwards as if daring more ships to fall. Unfortunately, the objects falling into the water caused a lot of motion and the ship rocked back and forth. The crew held on as best is good until the water calmed down to how it was prior to the wooden rain.

"Why would a ship fall from up there?" shouted Luffy as he looked up then back to his crew who wore similarly befuddled faces.

"There's nothing else up there," Zoro squinted up into the sky before sitting back onto the deck and tending to his swords.

"So weird…" Sanji muttered as he grabbed a cigarette and was searching for his lighter but was annoyed to see that he lost it in the motion of the waves. Seeing his predicament, Andrea held up her right palm and a small flame sputtered onto it. He nodded gratefully at the marine and lit the cigarette.

"This is the Grand Line. Far from ordinary…" Andrea murmured softly as she closed her palm, hence extinguishing the flame. "I'm certain I've heard about this phenomenon but for the life of me, I cannot recall…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nami's face pale as she stared at the log pose on her wrist. "What's wrong, Nami-san?"

"The log pose is just pointing straight up! It must be broken because it's not moving at all," she exclaimed in worry. To her surprise, Robin looked relatively calm.

"It's not broken. There simply is another magnetic field that is attracting the log pose to it. If it's pointing up, that means that it locked onto a sky island," the archeologist proclaimed.

"What's a sky island?" Luffy asked as he pointed up there. "A literal island up there? Floating in the sky?"

"Is there where that ship fell from?" Usopp shouted in fear as he looked at the debris floating on the ocean. He especially shivered as he saw a skeleton still clinging onto pieces.

"Rather… it's like a floating sea," Robin explained calmly and to the rest of the crew's horror, Usopp and Luffy grew excited at the prospect of exploring.

"Let's go! I must see this island on a floating sea. Up up and away!" the young captain shouted and Usopp grinned as he contemplated the stories he could gain from such a journey.

"Full speed ahead!" the sniper ordered and Robin, having enough of the foolishness, used her powers to silence the two loudmouths.

"Ships can't go upwards," muttered Sanji as he laughed at Luffy trying to wave off Robin's hands off his face.

"I don't know much about sky islands however," admitted the archeologist and in a moment unseen before, she turned to Andrea with a question. "Have you been taught much about the sky islands in your time with the marines?"

Any shock she felt at being addressed by Robin she did not allow it to show on her face. "I've only heard bits and pieces but nothing solid. I could call Sakazuki and ask him?"

Robin stiffened at the mention of the magma logia. "I'd rather you not do that," she icily intoned as she waved an arm towards where Luffy had been holding the Den Den Mushi hostage. "Any other sources of information?"

"Um… Gramps maybe. Kuzan and Borsalino should know too," she thoughtfully stated while trying to think of who else she could contact that would not have the Demon of Ohara glare her into non-existence.

Nami shook her head skeptically at the conversation the two brunettes were having. "This is nonsense. How can there be another sea and floating islands? Just admit the log pose is broken!"

Robin shook her head in disagreement. "Navigator-san, don't worry about the log pose but rather figure out how we'll get up there." While the women had been bickering about the log pose and possible existence or non-existence of sky islands, Usopp and Luffy took to exploring the wreckage. "In the Grand Line with all that is unpredictable and dangerous, the thing to count on is a log pose. Narrow minded thinking is what kills the most out here."

"Interesting how the most deaths aren't chalked up to thuggish pirates or overzealous marines," Andrea muttered as she eyed her Den Den Mushi cautiously. "But I do agree with Robin. If the log pose points there, we must go." In the commotion, Usopp and Luffy had found a coffin that was in the wreckage and dragged it aboard the Going Merry. While she admitted it was creepy, Nami wanted to know if there was any treasure inside. Robin opened it cautiously and examined the skeleton inside. "We might find more clues," she explained as she reached in to touch the skeleton.

"That's creepy and I'm a doctor!" Chopper sputtered in fear as he hid behind the mast or rather attempted to around Nami's attempts to shake the log pose out of its magnetic attraction to the sky island.

"A dead body and pretty woman go well together," Sanji leered as Robin put the head of the skeleton together.

Robin gave a polite smile to the chef but her attention was still on the skull she had reassembled. "The hole here is unnatural but it's not from an injury but rather from a surgical procedure correct, Doctor-san?" she asked Chopper.

"Such methods were used to cure many problems involving the head in the past but that method is very old and outdated," the furry doctor explained as he still shivered behind the mast.

Robin examined more of the skeleton and skull carefully before coming to a conclusion. "He likely died around a couple centuries ago. Age most likely thirty or so. From the fact his teeth or intact but his skull is fractured, we can reason he had caught a disease." The archeologist reached for a book she had as she glanced momentarily at the sails that were on the destroyed ship. "This book set sail from the South Blue two hundred and eight years ago."

"You found that much information just from that skull?" Nami asked and despite trying to hide it, she was very much impressed.

"I'm glad you do have talents besides assassination," Andrea snarked as Robin smirked right back at her.

"With a little bit of knowledge, even this skull can tell quite a tale," Robin mused as Usopp dragged an almost drowned Luffy onto the deck.

"Look what I found everyone!" the captain happily shouted as he unraveled a map.

"Skypiea…" Nami murmured in wonder as she examined it. "Does this mean there really could be a sky island?" she wondered and upon seeing Usopp, Chopper and Luffy get excited, she snorted in annoyance. "Keep in mind that the map might be fake…" the trio started to groan and cry at her words, "but there might be one! I just don't know how to get there," Nami begrudgingly admitted.

"You're a navigator so navigate dammit!" Luffy shouted as he pointed upwards. The scene made Andrea laugh at the craziness of it all. "I don't care if you think it's impossible, Nami. Just make it happen!" Tired of his idiocy, Nami smacked Luffy's head.

"We need to gather more information. If a big ship can get up there, we can too," the navigator reasoned as she looked into the water's depths. "So… we'll need to salvage some parts." She gave a wide grin as she looked at the monster trio.


	55. Salvaging Pride

A thanks to 18KmPerHour and OnePiecefan202 for your reviews last chapter and to The Art Pirate for your review of the chapter prior. I do try to go out of my way to keep Luffy very much in character as a lovable klutz who cares for family :D

Everyone enjoy this latest chapter!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 55: Salvaging Pride**

"Did Kuzan even tell you if he was close to the area or not?" scowled Akainu in displeasure into the Den Den Mushi. All the sake on the ship was not enough to quench the headache that had taken him hostage.

"Yeah then he hung up because he saw a pretty lady or something like that," replied a bemused Borsalino who took a sip of sake himself. "You really are worrying quite a bit about Andrea-chan."

"Well of course I am. Add to that, a man child for a captain who isn't seeing reason and I ask what reason I have to _not_ be worried," retorted the annoyed admiral. He really wanted to contact her again but the fact she was not receiving privacy for the last call worried him. He had heard quite the flurry of rumors about a certain pirate fugitive at large that was sighted at Crocodile's side and her sudden disappearance had set Marineford in a tizzy of drama and activity.

"Well don't worry. Her brother's an idiot but won't do anything too destructive…" Kizaru replied before chortling. "Oh who am I kidding? Anyone descended from Garp is destructive but that's not the point. He will protect her until, how did you put it? Someone stronger than her retrieves her? Kuzan is easily able to defeat him. The report she sent off before they left Alabasta indicate that he doesn't possess any form of Haki."

"But in the encrypted report, she noted he has the potential for it," pointed out the magma logia who still was skeptical. "In any case, I'm returning to Marineford to await anymore orders since Kuzan is to retrieve her anyway. Good day to you, Borsalino."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Oh just let me kill them," Andrea scowled as she looked upon the pirates who came up to salvage the ship. They were led by a rather loud, boisterous simian looking fellow. "Or at least the captain of them. Come on, Nami-san!" she whined as she started to wince at the sound of the annoying voice.

"Well… they could save us the work of salvaging and then you kill them?" the navigator suggested just to be glared at by the marine.

"That would make me a pirate or a corrupt marine like the one that took advantage of Arlong and your village." At the mention of the fishman, Nami's face hardened as she turned away from the marine in annoyance and chose to butter up the scavengers.

"You really are dedicated aren't you Marine-san?" Robin asked quietly as she came close to the irate marine who watched Nami banter with the scavengers.

"Someone has to. Taking out so low life pirates would be good training for me too," she admitted. "Despite my position, I mostly am here due to who I am. With your knowledge Robin, I'm certain you might know a little about who I really am."

Something broke through the water at that instance interrupting the rare peaceful conversation between the two women. Robin sighed as she walked over to Usopp, Chopper and Nami who were panicking over the scavengers possibly finding the rest of the crew. "I'm guessing they all got swallowed by that giant turtle," she calmly stated to Usopp's dismay.

"Don't say they were eaten!" he screeched as his eyes began to tear up.

"That'd be ironic. Two huge eaters and a chef eaten," chuckled Andrea who looked at the turtle with a cool expression.

"The turtle is likely going to dive and with our ship connected to it, we'll be dragged down also," Robin stated as she watched the device that Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji were connected to shake slightly.

"Robin, you're strong. Do something!" Usopp wailed as Chopper held onto the 'back up' captain.

"It's too big," she reasoned before turning to the marine and waving her hand at it.

"They don't like the Seastone on my palm and attempting to blast something that big would hurt me a lot and just be stupid." Andrea's palm was still wrapped in a bandage that Chopper forced onto her after she blasted the falling ship earlier.

The Straw Hats watched the crew of scavengers however not panic and work vigorously to ensure the survival of their captain. Inspired, Usopp turned to the crew. "This is a mere test of our teamwork!"

Nami nodded and directed the sniper, "Usopp, cut the air pipes to ensure our safety!" The liar and reindeer looked at the navigator in horror.

Suddenly however, everything turned dark. "Why is it night? Chopper questioned in confusion as he looked around.

"That's impossible," snapped Nami who was still smarting from the unspoken insinuation she would be so cold. The panic had spread to the scavengers' ship as they started moaning about omens but before they could panic any further, Luffy burst through the water and plopped harmlessly onto the ship. He was holding tightly onto a bag but his lack of movement concerned his sister who ran to him immediately. Zoro and Sanji climbed up with bags on their backs.

"We need to get out of here now!" Zoro barked with impatience as Chopper began to check them over for injuries.

"Yes we should run from the giant turtle!" Usopp gushed with relief as he was happy to see his crew and not have to step up and be captain after all.

The green haired swordsman scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "What turtle? We're talking about a monkey."

"I guess some sea monster," mused Sanji who whined at his cigarette not lighting up properly.

"The thing was friendly with Luffy at first."

"Since they are both monkeys." Andrea giggled at the synchronization of the two rivals.

"But when he saw our sacks full of stuff, he went ape shit literally!"

"Like a crazy gorilla," finished Zoro with a sigh.

"Oh you mean that captain who is here with his crew to scavenge the ship," Nami muttered as he relieved the men of their sacks. "Good job on escaping from that giant turtle's mouth," she complimented with a smile.

"What turtle?" both men questioned with confusion.

Usopp took the chance to spin a tale but a glare later from the marine made him change his mind and give a shortened version. "Odd how the turtle had its mouth wide open. I guess that's how you all escaped."

Sanji and Zoro gaped as they turned around to see the monster. "What the hell is that?!" they both exclaimed to the sniper's displeasure. He began to shout at the two which woke their captain to the marine's relief.

"You're awake, lil bro," she murmured with worry lacing her voice.

Luffy tilted his head in confusion and coughed up some water. "How is it nighttime?" he questioned as he looked around curiously.

"Oi Luffy! Help us move the ship!" Zoro shouted over to him as he yanked the captain to be useful but before they could get anything done, a figure jumped out of the water and landed on the Going Merry's railings.

"You can't leave!" shouted the monkey-like scavenger captain. "You really think you can stomp around my territory and take my treasure?"

Andrea rolled her eyes as Nami turned to Luffy with wonder in her eyes. "You guys really found treasure?"

"Of course we did!" Luffy proudly stated as pleased to see the normally raging woman pleased with him.

"We must stop him from going berserk on the ship," Zoro muttered as he reached for his swords. Andrea agreed with him and reached for her dagger but an overwhelming feeling took over and made her shiver. Turning around, she noticed that the giant sea turtle and the rest of the crew were frozen with shock as they stared at three immense figures. Fear took over as the crew worked overtime to get away from the situation. Thankfully, they managed to find sunshine and the crew relaxed.

"What a weird day," Sanji muttered as he lit his cigarette with his old lighter than he found among the panic of escaping.

"A galleon actually fell from the sky…" Zoro felt in shock even as the words passed his lips.

"The log pose insists on pointing upwards too," Nami added as she kept staring at the infernal thing on her wrist.

"A weird monkey went to salvage the ship…" Usopp's sharp mind was already thinking of ways to twist this into a tale of epic proportions.

"Then a giant sea turtle ate the ship," Chopper breathed slowly as his heart was still running on the adrenaline from the encounter.

"And monsters hundred times bigger than giants showed up!" Luffy exclaimed as he leaned on his sister who was still fussing over her nearly drowned sibling.

"Surely there is an explanation," she scowled as Luffy kept moving around and refused to stay still.

"Yup! I was scared!" a voice stated and the crew fell into silence before turning and seeing that the monkey look-a-like was still on their ship. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro all mentally and immediately agreed before rushing to the monkey man to kick him off the ship.

"Just get out of here!" they howled in manly fury as all three of them kicked instantaneously. Andrea gave a small smile as she watched the scavenger soar through the air.

"Damn… I wanted in on that," she groaned in boredom as she lay back on the ship. "So… who do I get to spar with now?" she inquired just to be bombarded with a concerned, fuzzy doctor at her side.


	56. Back Where We Started

A thanks to OnePiecefan202 and 18KmPerHour for your reviews. I do appreciate them  
The point that you made OnePiecefan202 intrigued me about how the other two admirals seemed a bit scarier than Aokiji. The way I write them is based around what I thought of them when I was reading the manga and saw the title page for Chapter 592 that had Akainu trimming a bonsai while Kizaru was watching over him while drinking what I'm assuming is sake. Seeing the page made me think about what the admirals might do on their own time as we have relatively little information other than Akainu being a bit of a ruthless hard ass and Kizaru being slightly whimsical and sarcastic.

I hope everyone enjoys this silly chapter

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 56: Back Where We Started**

"Why did you just bring back this crap?" Nami berated as she kicked the rusty and worn armor and weapons that came out of the dumped sacks. Her eyebrow twitched dangerously as she saw her captain put on a rather obsolete suit of armor and try to swing around an unbalanced sword. "Oh take that off," she scowled at the enthusiastic rubber man. The marine chuckled as she attempted to pull the too-tight helmet off her brother's head just to have his neck stretch with her effort. Despite the smile that threatened to tug at her lips, Nami could not help but let her anger keep showing through. "None of this stuff will help us get to that sky island!"

"What else could we have gotten?" Zoro smirked as he noticed Andrea finally pull off the helmet from Luffy's head just have her fall backwards and the helmet flew from her hands into the air.

Sanji's eyes tried to follow the marine's decent as he attempted to look up her dress but to his dismay, Luffy had fallen in the way and blocked the view. His attention turned to another lovely lady who in his mind, needed attention that only a polite, chivalrous man like himself could deliver. "The shitty Marimo is telling the truth, Nami-swan." He lit up a cigarette and blew smoke into the swordsman's face. "The ship was attacked or that there was some sort of mutiny."

"That means the information is even more crucial," retorted the irate navigator. She did not appreciate the lusty eyes of the cook who upon failing to leer at the marine attempted to curry her favor. "You all need to understand that if we attempted to go onto a sky island now, what happened to that ship can happen to us!" She kicked some of the junk that was on the deck. "Knowledge is life and death in this situation. Look at this stuff! Rusted swords, cookware and sea octopi! We need journals, ledgers and notes rather than this crap!" Nami rolled her eyes at the dismayed and saddened faces of the two rivals and turned to the enthusiastic captain who was attempted to escape his sister's attempts to relieve him of his armor. "And you!" Luffy froze in fear and looked at the navigator carefully as if debating which of the two female evils he was willing to chance. "Why do you have armor, Luffy?"

"To protect me from harm!" he happily stated as he tapped his chest with his fist but to his sorrow, it shattered from his strength. "Nooooooooooooooo!" he attempted to gather the shards of metal and put them together as if putting together a puzzle.

Sanji saw Nami become more enraged at their captain's foolishness and attempted to pacify her. "Nami-swan, I brought you a beautiful shell!"

"Why would I want that you idiot!" she scowled at the cook who whimpered before Robin politely consoled him and after giving a nice smile, took the shell for herself.

"I hope there wasn't too much trouble," the archeologist murmured as she watched Nami come towards her in a fit of rage. Andrea rolled her eyes at the dramatics and handed the feisty navigator a peeled tangerine to eat.

"Sadly, this is just the start," grumbled Nami as she bit into the citrus. The juices felt cooling and soothed her fiery temperament. "Those idiots… now I don't know how we'll get up to that island."

"This might help," winked Robin as she handed over an eternal log pose.

"How did you get this, Robin?" Nami asked in wonder as she glanced at the men who still were squabbling over the junk.

"Devil fruit powers are rather handy," chuckled Andrea as she peeked over at the archeologist who smiled back.

"Stole this from that scavenger's ship," Robin stated offhandedly and to her shock, Nami's eyes lit up as she hugged the other women on the crew in a spontaneous group hug.

"You two are the only ones that understand me!" the navigator happily wailed to the discomfort of the two brunettes who looked at each other with politely concealed loathing. After releasing the two women who promptly put distance between themselves, Nami looked over the eternal log pose. "Hmm… Jaya. I suppose this was where their headquarters are."

"Oh we're going to Jaya?" Luffy inquired as he started to munch on some snacks that he found in the kitchen while Sanji was distracted while looking for sea creatures who may have hitched a ride in their sacks.

"You're the captain idiot! You're supposed to decide!" growled Nami as her good mood dissipated as quickly as it had come.

"Ok. Onto Jaya then!" Luffy ordered cheerily.

"Wait a minute," protested Usopp as he pushed himself past Luffy. "If we go directly to Jaya, won't our own log pose be overwritten? So… we'll be unable to go to any sky island."

"Stop going to Jaya then!" Luffy ordered in fear as he turned to the navigator. "What the hell, Nami?"

"It was your choice to go to Jaya, idiot," she rolled her eyes as she noticed the rubber man flail his arms as he thought up a response.

"But I didn't think it would be like this!" retorted the captain who only walked into the verbal trap his navigator set.

"If you didn't think, that's your fault. The log pose is just this way," Nami deadpanned as she saw Luffy tilt his head while trying to process what just happened.

"Oh, ok then." Luffy calmed down as he looked back into the sky. "Since I'm the captain, I have decided we're going to that sky island."

"How will you get there then?" steamed Nami who was about to freak out on the captain when his sister stepped in and decided to intervene with Usopp at her side.

"We need to ask around for information," Usopp inputted as he snatched some snacks out of the bunch that Luffy was eating.

Andrea nodded as she added, "And you know Luffy, we could ask around in Jaya. And mayhaps… let me go?"

"Ok we'll go to Jaya but you can't go yet sis," Luffy stated simply before he noticed the blank look on Usopp and Nami's face. "What? Is something on my face?"

"We're back to where we started," snorted Usopp as he attempted to smack the rubber captain.

"Robin, we could just avoid docking in Jaya correct?" Andrea inquired as she gave a half hearted kick to Usopp for smacking her brother.

"We'll the log pose's record won't get overwritten that fast depending on the strength of the magnetic field." The archeologist poked the eternal log pose with amusement as she gave a sunny smile. "We'll just ensure to leave the island before the pose has a chance to set a new record."


	57. From Nowhere

Well, what a good milestone chapter! With this chapter, my story will have hit 100k words :)

Also, I'm happy to see two more favorites for this story. I'm glad to see more people enjoying this little tale

A thank you to reviewers 18KmPerHour and OnePiecefan202. To address both reviews, Andy and Robin's 'relationship' will have it's odd ups and downs partially due to the fact they do have quite a bit in common to the point it's actually straining xD  
Also, 18Km, I do actually share that opinion of how the marines see the admirals as good guys where despite being antagonists of the story technically, they are kinda good guys in their own ways. No slaps from me coming your way :p

Fun fact: My husband is a dead ringer for Akainu and can imitate him, Kizaru and Aokiji on various phrases they mutter  
New goal... having him cosplay as an admiral in the next upcoming convention...

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 57: From Nowhere**

"So… where are you traveling?" the lazy masculine voice droned from the Den Den Mushi in Andrea's hands.

"None of your business," snapped Nami who tried to take away the snail from the marine just to be shoved away.

"Jaya. Close to that Kuzan?" Andrea giggled at the frustrated visage of the Straw Hat's navigator.

"Maybe. I don't know. I forget," he groaned as the sound of rustling paper could be heard. "Um… I'll ride in this general direction and see where I am from there I guess. Bye bye."

The marine sighed at her superior's lax attitude. "Take care," she hummed as she hung up the snail just to look up and see Robin's frigid glare. "What?" she muttered in annoyance just to be brushed off as the archeologist retreated to a chair.

Zoro rolled his eyes at the female drama before calling up to Usopp who was sitting in the crow's nest. "Can you see it yet, Usopp?"

"Nah, not yet," the sniper shouted back. While he was not particularly fond of watching for land or ships, being up here definitely the chances of being stuck in the drama surrounding Andrea and Robin lately.

"Well we can't be that far if that weird monkey guy said this is his territory," mused the marine who walked towards the figurehead where her little brother was resting.

Glaring at Andrea from the corner of her eye, Nami looked up at the sky critically. "The calm, stable weather is a sign we are getting close to an island."

"Likely close to Jaya," Robin added from her chair. She still had an annoyed eye on the marine. _The audacity actually calling and revealing our next location to an admiral… I hope her brother is ready to pay the price of her actions_.

"I hope it's a spring island," Luffy pondered as he reclined on the figurehead of the Going Merry. Chopper nodded in agreement as he sunned in the gentle rays.

"Even the seagulls are enjoying this weather," Chopper mentioned as his eyes turned up to the birds. The cheerful chirping and caws were short lived however the birds collapsed and fell hard onto the deck. The crew gathered around in curiosity while Andrea's eyes hardened as she tried to feel around with a little use of her timid Observation Haki. Garp had noted she had a talent for feeling things out and taught her the basics and while she knew she could not take down anyone, at the very least, she could attempt to train that aspect of herself here. "They were shot!" Chopper wailed as he examined the birds.

"Oh… can we use them to barbeque?" Luffy asked as he lifted one of the birds by its wing. Andrea's nose turned up at the thought of eating the mangy sea birds but Luffy's hunger knew no bounds as he happily lifted both birds. "Sanji! Cook with these!" he happily chirped as he waved the gulls towards the chef.

"Chopper-kun, can you tell where the shots came from?" Andrea inquired discreetly as she looked towards the figurehead. _Something doesn't feel right…_

"I didn't hear any shots," Usopp called down from the crow's nest which only put the marine at more ill ease.

"Well, judging from the angle of ascent, I can deduce it was fired from the direction in front of us." Chopper said after plucking the birds from his captain and removing the bullets.

"Thought so," Andrea's voice shook as her right fist tightened in anticipation.

"From an island we can't see? That's impossible!" Nami skeptically muttered as she attempted to see from where the shots could have come from.

"But Nami… I was watching the birds the whole time!" Chopper wailed at the thought of his opinion not being taken seriously.

"I'm curious about that shooter's eyesight," mused Usopp as his eyes lit up with a rare motivation. "I'm also curious what type of gun and technique the shooter would possess. There's also a chance that those birds had been shot earlier and just fell down now!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sound envious," teased the marine with a playful smile. Usopp blushed as the marine tilted her head and waved towards the birds that Luffy was carrying happily to Sanji. "Maybe someone on Jaya could teach you?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Do we have a location from Kuzan yet?" scowled Akainu as he paced around in his cabin. The crew of the little speedy ship was worried about what would happen if their admiral's anger was taken out on them so had opted to stay out of the way as much as possible.

"He hasn't picked up yet," droned Kizaru in boredom. The distant sound of clinking cups could be heard in the background and a couple curses when one shattered. "Your worry over her is making me worry," he muttered as he began to clean his mess.

"Well Kuzan is the closest to that area and isn't any closer to finding them!" growled the magma logia as he looked at the Den Den Mushi. "Maybe I could call again…"

"What if you get hung up on again?" teased his fellow marine and to his surprise, Akainu hung up on him.

"Well… I might as well find out," pondered the stern admiral as he dialed Andrea's Den Den Mushi. To his annoyance, his call was not picked up but a rather unusual answering message was in place.

"Hi! I'm Andrea's brother and if you're calling her about marine stuff, well forget it! She's in my care right now so unless you want your butt kicked, leave her alone. Unless you have meat… then come here, give me it and then leave her alone! Oh… and if it's her boyfriend calling, I'm still waiting for you to try to beat me up. Bye!" Akainu facepalmed while hanging up the snail as he had no words to describe the mixture of shock and humor he felt from the idiot captain.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"This island looks rather pleasant," Robin assessed as she looked it over.

"It almost looks like a resort!" Usopp happily voiced as he was still feeling oddly optimistic about the chance of finding that shooter of the seagulls.

"Speed up, Merry!" Luffy hooted from the figurehead while his sister was staring rather grumpily at him. "Oh cheer up sis! If you didn't tell them where we were heading, you could have kept your snail and chatted with your boyfriend," he teased just to have his sister turn her nose up at him. Unused to being ignored, the young captain started whining, "Oiiiiii. Don't be mean, Andy!"

Nami smacked the back of his head as she took in the view before her. "We could likely stay here for a few days."

"Those look like pirate ships," Usopp intoned with quite a bit of fear tingeing his voice. He received a light smack from the navigator afterwards.

"How could pirates dock so openly, you idiot." Andrea raised an elegant eyebrow as she looked at the vessels. Robin chuckled and even came up next to her and silently they came to an agreement as they both intoned in a creepily synchronized voice.

"Those are obviously pirate vessels."

Nami, Chopper and Usopp began to wail at the realization, "What's wrong with this city?"

Luffy flung himself off the Going Merry and looked around happily. The sight of his cheerful grin lightened the mood around most of the crew and even his sister returned his grin with her own cheery smile. While taking a slightly more elegant way to disembark the ship, she had taken the opportunity to grab her marine coat. "There's lots of different people here Andy. Won't wearing that get you attacked more?"

The marine shrugged in scarcely concealed amusement. "Well that will be a good dose of training now won't it?"

Zoro grinned as he met the sibling's walking pace away from the ship. "This will be fun," he chuckled as he readied his blades.


	58. Promise Me!

Yay a new follower to the story :D

A thank you to my two reviewers OnePiecefan202 and 18KmPerHour. I really appreciate it you two!

Fun fact: I used to type up my older, non-published D-Grayman fanfics at work using gmail xD

Enjoy everyone!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 58: Promise Me!**

Nami froze in worry as she watched the trio happily walk towards the town. "They want to cause trouble," the navigator scowled as Usopp nodded in agreement.

"There is trouble enough everywhere in this city without more being stirred up. I doubt we can stop Andrea-san but…" he stammered as he saw the determined light in Nami's eyes grow.

"Well, I'll have to step in then!" Nami declared as she hoisted herself over the railing of the ship and took off towards the trio. "Waaaaaaaaaiiiiiiit!" she hollered and to her surprise, all three of them stopped. In all the commotion, no one noticed the dark haired archeologist take her exit.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji hummed along happily as he rode across the ocean. He had put the Den Den Mushi on silent so that he could focus more properly on applying only the exact amount of power for his logia devil fruit to take its effect. He had come to an unusual island after a few minutes however and decided it was a perfect time for a nap. After he lay down for the day, he still had not noticed his Den Den Mushi frantically squirm.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu glared at the Den Den Mushi in his hands. _I'm really tired of no one picking up their damn snails._

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Oh. If it bugs you that bad then, I won't fight within the city." Luffy swore seriously to Nami's surprise. She raised an elegant orange brow before glancing at the Straw Hat's first mate.

"You too?" He shrugged in agreement and the navigator was pleasantly surprised. "Well… how uncharacteristic of you two to be so… passive. I'm glad you understand that causing too much trouble here will make us unable to go to that sky island." She glanced cautiously at Andrea who only raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Will it be too much if you cooperate?"

"Yup," the marine giggled as her jacket swayed in the wind. "I'm a marine still even if my brother insists on boat arresting me. Besides, it'll be suspicious if I'm too lax while under my brother's custody." Nami sighed as she realized this was as good as it would get.

Of course it did not take long for trouble to already start. Luffy and Zoro were leading the group with Andrea right behind them and Nami taking up the rear. Whispers followed the group as they headed through and a glare from Andrea often silenced them but a person falling off his horse interrupted the walk. "Who could that be?" Nami wondered as Zoro and Luffy looked curiously at the man.

"Oh he fell off his horse," Luffy observed as he tilted his head to look at the horse then back at the man.

"Yup. Fell off the horse," Zoro repeated as he watched the crowd around them carefully.

"Oh he's even coughing up blood," the captain noted just to be parroted by his first mate yet again.

"Mhmm, blood." The shaky man looked up to the two men and gave a weak smile.

"Excuse me but would you two help me up?"

Zoro scoffed skeptically as he noticed a few people in the crowd laughing. "Aren't you just being too lazy to do it yourself?"

"I suppose this is a mite embarrassing," the weak man admitted before Luffy and Zoro hauled him up and onto his horse. However, they did not get far before even the horse started to cough up blood.

"Even the horse is weak," sputtered Luffy as he watched with incredibility. The man gave a weak smile as he offered a basket of apples to the rubber man.

"A token of my gratitude," he murmured as even the basket shook. Zoro politely declined and when Luffy reached out for one, Andrea hissed in irritation.

"Don't be so damn naïve," she lectured in annoyance as she gave the sickly man a critical eye. "Don't take appearances so lightly. We're in the Grand Line after all."

"Don't boss me around, Andy," Luffy retorted as he reached for an apple. "Thanks mister!" he chirped happily before cramming it into his mouth.

"Don't eat them you idiot!" growled Zoro who was in shock of his captain's naivety.

Commotion however interrupted them in the form of an explosion. "Didn't you hear? This weird guy gave apples to these men and after eating them, five of them exploded!"

Nami paled as she tried to force her captain to spit out the apple by gripping his throat and shaking him. "Hey Nami! Don't do that! I already swallowed it!" sputtered the now blue captain.

"What are you trying to pull?" shouted Zoro who unsheathed his sword. Andrea was one step ahead of him as she had her dagger to the sick man's throat. He choked a couple times before grinning wildly at them.

"Don't worry your little heads about this. If he took the wrong apple, he would have died instantly. You really are a lucky kid!" he complimented Luffy who just stared blankly at him. Andrea scowled before kicking the sick man off his even sicker horse. Nami stared at the angry marine who stormed off but before she could go after her, Luffy held her back.

"Don't worry. Andy prolly will just blow off some steam and then be back." Nami narrowed her eyes before Luffy elaborated. "There are plenty of other pirates here to occupy herself with and obviously no other marines. It'd be really stupid to leave."

Andrea smiled as she barely heard what her brother said. She had a weird feeling and headed towards a hotel just to have a shaky yet smooth talking man try to talk her out of being in the area. Shrugging off the man's advice, she knocked on the door just to be greeted by a shirtless, blue haired man who glared at Andrea in disdain. After eyeing her, he scowled, "Why is a marine runt like you here? My captain spent good money to buy out this shit hole."

The blonde woman who was on his arms snarled at her. "Go get on out of here. If you want a real man, you'll have to look at someone other than bugging Sarkies."

"Well said, Lily," the man murmured as he was well pleased by his subordinate. Andrea rolled her eyes before placing her right palm onto the man's bare chest.

"You annoy me," she intoned softly before smirking wildly. "I'm only here to have some fun." Before either pirate could protest, Andrea blew him away with a beam of light before turning to the woman. "If you got anymore pirate scum to sic on me, do it now or get the hell out." She turned away and only a moment later, ran back into her brother, Zoro and Nami.

"See! I told you Andy would be fine!" Luffy chuckled as he glomped his sister. Despite her prior mood, her brother did make her smile a bit.

"Yeah… just took out the trash," she admitted before giving a sideways glance towards the tavern. "Shall we?"

The pirates nodded before strolling in and taking their seats at the bar. Andrea felt around the tavern cautiously with her Haki before also taking a seat. The bartender smiled at all of them, even the female marine before filling them in on the basics of the town. "Pirates are normally very lax with their money as if it is flowing water. Despite their lifestyle, around here they rarely attack the civilians because all their money is worthless if they can't spend it."

"This city doesn't sit well with me," Nami admitted and Andrea nodded in agreement.

"Just being here makes my skin crawl," she whispered and the man at the bar near Luffy began to sputter. "So much vile ocean scum…" She leaned against the bar and slumped again it in an attempt to rest.

"Normal people or marines likely would disapprove of this town," the bartender admitted before refilling the crew's beer mugs. "Most leave before the four days it takes for a new record to overwrite one's log pose."

"So we should leave after two days…" Nami mused as she stared at the log pose on her wrist. Before she could ask, Luffy and the mysterious filthy man next to him interrupted her.

"This cherry pie tastes so bad, I could die!"

"This cherry pie tastes so good, I could die!"

Andrea facepalmed at her brother not playing nice with others but she said nothing as she delicately felt the man's aura with her Haki. Silently she took a drink of the chocolate milk she ordered but kept an eye on the man. He took a drink of his soda at the same time as Luffy and as predicted, they had similarly differing opinions. "This soda tastes so good!"

"This soda tastes so bad!" Again both men stared at each other intensely just to have the bartender shrug.

"I don't make the food or soda so I don't care," the bartender stated as he slunk away from the impending argument.

"Something must be wrong with your tongue, boy." The dark haired filthy man muttered as he took another bite of cherry pie.

"Nah, it must be your brain," Luffy retorted as he sipped the soda in his mug without a care. Immediately they were trying to one up each other with orders before turning to each other and shouting.

"You must want a fight!" both pirates snarled at each other.

"How the hell did this get so hostile?" Zoro groaned as he prodded Andrea who had been attempting to sleep at the bar.

"Luffy, you promised! And we don't have enough money to get all that crap you want to buy anyway!" He sighed but before he could back down, the older man just had to pick at him.

"You must be a pirate."

"Oh you actually do have a brain in there," scowled Andrea who started to rub her eyes. "My brother was right about your brain."

The dark haired man ignored her. "Bounty?"

"Thirty million," he proudly stated before hearing his sister scoff.

"You idiot. It went up recently remember?" the marine murmured before pushing herself up. "We don't have time to deal with pirates like him."

The man narrowed his eyes before taking the fifty pies he had ordered from the bartender and storming out of the tavern. Before the dust could settle however, another imposing man walked in with the wind blowing through his unkempt, blond hair. "Is that bitchy marine woman here?"

Andrea sighed before drawing herself to her full height and staring at the man. "Why do I have such damn bad luck involving blonds?"


	59. The Hyena

I apologize for the delay! Last couple days, hives had broken out on my body and it was somewhat controllable albeit annoying but last night, I had a difficult time breathing so I had to go to the hospital D:  
One deep clean of my room involving my mother in law and you can imagine the hellish past two days :p

Now then! I am happy to see yet another favorite for the story and thanks to 18KmPerHour & OnePiecefan202 for your reviews

Random funny: While at the hospital for **six fucking hours **before being seen by a doctor for more than a couple minutes, I entertained myself with imagining Kizaru on Dance Dance Revolution

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 59: The Hyena**

Luffy stood up next to his sister as he grabbed her arm. "Someone you know, Andy?"

"No idea," she admitted as she sized up the blond in front of her. "Likely part of the crew of that weird guy I blasted earlier."

"So… you're the marine who took on my first mate and the guy next to you is that pirate worth thirty million Beri…" the blond snickered as eyed the pirate. "Straw Hat Luffy yet I'm surprised to see that the marine in your custody is the one who caused trouble for my crew."

"Get your info right," scowled Andrea who looked rather bored. "My brother is worth way more than that now."

"Odd how trouble finds you two," mused Zoro as he took a sip of his alcohol. The man walked towards the bar and ordered a wine yet before he took a sip, the doors opened yet again. Many people, assumedly from the blond man's crew walked in including a few faces that were recognizable to Andrea.

"Oh, it's you," she groaned at the blue haired first mate. "I was hoping I killed you."

The man ignored the female marine and simply opted to watch their captain. He had ordered Luffy another drink but as the rubber pirate was about to sip his free drink, the blond's hand was behind his head. "Oh Bellamy wants to play!" many of the blond's crew hollered. Zoro, Nami and Andrea had no time to warn Luffy before Bellamy slammed his face into the bar.

"What do you think you two are going to do?" the man snarled as Zoro's blade was at the front of the blond's throat while Andrea's was at his back.

"Zoro, we can't cause trouble yet! We haven't found any information!" Nami shrieked in worry just to be met with a glare from the swordsman.

"We're defending against an attack made, stupid witch." Before Nami could freak out, Luffy stood up to Bellamy's surprise.

"I'm surprised you're able to get up," the beefy blond simpered to Luffy's annoyance.

"You're obviously ready for a fight," Luffy observed as he prepared to face off against the man.

Nami, sensing that their time was about to come to a crashing halt, approached the bartender suddenly. "Excuse me; do you know how to get to a sky island? Specifically Skypeia to be exact." Everyone in the bar began to laugh loudly at the navigator's question and said navigator was tired of being mocked. "See look at the log pose!"

The arrow was indeed pointing up but the people in the tavern continued their mockery. "Log poses mess up all the time!" one of Bellamy's crew proclaimed and Nami turned red from embarrassment before feeling a slender arm hug her.

"Ignore them, Nami. It's their fault they are too retarded to follow a log pose properly," Andrea murmured softly. The result of a marine hugging a pirate became too much for Bellamy to handle so he just kept on laughing.

"You really are a bunch of hicks aren't you?" he chortled at their expressions while taking another sip of wine. "To actually believe sky islands exist… hilarious." Nami bristled in Andrea's arms but the marine squeezed her softly to relax her. "There is even a current that launches ships into the sky just for them to freefall back into the water. Just one of the Grand Line's mysteries slowly getting solved. How sad… I was going to test you Straw Hat to see if you'd be worthy of joining my crew but idiot dreamers have no place in my crew." Bellamy reached for a bottle and cracked it over Luffy's head. "When I see idiots who chase their dreams, my stomach turns."

Nami gasped and attempted to reach for her captain just to have Andrea hold her back. Andrea approached Bellamy and looked him square in the eye. "You're just a pissy bitch who is too scared to fail and doesn't even try."

The crew within the tavern hollered and snickered as Bellamy began to leer at her. "For a marine you have guts. Pity that you aren't an actual pirate unlike that Straw Hat kid that just gives real pirates a bad name."

"Dreamers or not, I can't stand pirates who hide behind the coattails of a Shichibukai." The tavern became silent before a few men started to shout and hurled insults as well as glasses in their direction.

"Just get out! Bellamy is much better than you!" several of the thugs snarled just to have Nami reconsider her earlier words. "No actually Bellamy… give the customers a show!" The twisted blond man grinned wickedly at the idea

"Forget the promise. Just kick his ass," the navigator pleaded her crewmates just to have him shrug.

"Nah, we won't fight them at all," Luffy declared easily to Nami's shock but the two did not notice the slight grin on Andrea's face.

"This city isn't for dreaming wimps!" many of the thugs in the tavern hooted which only made Nami blush more.

"Luffy! Zoro! Just send him flying and that'll be enough!" Bellamy's first mate however, chuckled at her attempts to reason with her captain.

"It's useless lady. They know they can't win yet it's a wimpy decision all the same."

"Oh the navy must be generous if we get thirty million Beri for cutting off that captain's head!" someone in Bellamy's crew stated just to be met with fierce smirks from their crew. Nami paled considerably before looking at Andrea.

"Do something please, Andrea-san!"

"Nami… moronic chicken shits like these really aren't worth our time if they can't get their information right." Luffy had the beginnings of a grin perk the edge of his lips.

"Blablabla. All I'm hearing is we won't do anything. Useless people with no pride are what you all are and you girly; actually expecting a marine to be on your side is hilarious. Everyone knows they go for which side has the most money so of course she'll do nothing." He strode over to Luffy who only gave him a more firm glare. "A weakling such as yourself worth thirty million is such a disappointment." The blond then took a drink of wine just to sputter it intentionally over Luffy and Zoro. Both men just stood there blinking and let Andrea mop the mess but Bellamy was not done yet. He slammed Luffy and Zoro into the tables and walls before turning to leer at Nami. "You woman! Come with us as following a captain like him will never lead anywhere good. How much do you cost to come satisfy my crew?"

Nami looked like someone forced acid down her throat but she gave a fake smile all the same while shrugging off Andrea's comfort. "Oh you'll buy me off? Sounds good to me."

Bellamy smirked as he eyed the navigator's body. "We'll make you so very happy."

Smirking, Nami rolled her eyes at his obvious leering. "Unfortunately, joining a team of small fries like you is a waste of my talents."

"You must be a very expensive talent," Bellamy chortled and his crew joined in with much laughter. "You two women take those men while they still are alive." Nami's eyes hardened and while the navigator was dragging her first mate and captain away, Andrea lingered in the tavern. Bellamy looked at her with great interest. "Is the marine going to join up with me?"

Andrea gave a small smirk before flipping off the rude pirate. A few of the crew tried to rush her but a rush of Haki made the men trip over each other and stumble. Even Bellamy had difficult time breathing after the pressure the marine exerted into the room. "Even if you pull that stick out of your ass, I'd never consider joining a group of worthless pirates such as yourself." She walked out of the bar without any further hindrance just to see Nami being chatted to by the filthy, pie loving man from before.

"That sky island does exist you know," he muttered as he ate some pie. He noticed all too well Nami's still dejected expression however. "Don't be so mad. Those two really won the battle and that marine just cleaned up." He gave a light leer at Nami before deciding to compliment her. "You have a lot of guts woman. Yelling at them the way you did." Luffy got up and adjusted his straw hat on his head while Zoro cracked his shoulder back into place. "The things those guys were blabbering about is just bullshit. A man's dreams will never die!" Many of the surrounding people gave the filthy, dark haired man a weird look as they gave small laughs. "Let them laugh! Anyone who wants to be a first rate pirate will encounter a time where there is no reason to fight back." Luffy looked a bit impatient but the dark haired man just laughed more at his expression. "I suppose I'm in your way. I apologize. I admit though it would be great if you and your crew manage to get there."

Luffy nodded and had the crew follow him. His sister, yet again, trailed behind to narrow an icy glare at the dark haired pirate who winked back at her. When Andrea caught up to the pirates, she heard Nami complain. "Luffy, he probably knows a lot about Skypeia." Both men shook their heads as Andrea gave a grimace.

At the navigator's confused face, Zoro filled in the blanks. "Rather they than just he knowing."


	60. Buy a New Ship? Buy Some Drama!

Bleh, a little short of breathe today and my hives medicine gives me an annoying headache T_T but overall, I feel better!

Thanks to OnePiecefan202 for your review :)

I'm glad I got this chapter ready for everyone early so I don't make you all wait like I did the other day D:

Enjoy!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 60: Buy a New Ship? Buy Some Drama!**

"Gah," scowled Usopp around the metal nails in his mouth while he was nailing a board to the hull of the Going Merry. "How many times have I told that idiot that I'm not a damn carpenter?"

"But your skill with wood crafting cannot be denied," exclaimed the enthusiastic Chopper who was watching the sniper with reverence in his eye and tone.

"Well, it is just one of my many strong points!" the long nosed man bragged confidently just to have a cigarette be crushed on his hand that was holding the hammer.

"Why don't you just have Luffy buy a new ship?" inquired Sanji curiously as he surveyed the haphazardly repair work that was being done.

"Stop with your crap! Don't you know where we got this ship from? It's special!" Usopp retorted angrily as he shook his fist holding the hammer.

"From some beautiful girl in your village, correct? I believe you've told us this many times," snorted the chef as he lit a new cigarette as he looked over the various repairs that the Going Merry had to endure. "This is dangerous sailing like this however," the chef murmured softly as he ran his hand down the wooden rails of the ship.

"Then get off your smoking ass and help me fix the ship!" snapped the sniper just to be met with the rolling of one visible eye.

"This," Sanji tapped on one of the poorly patched holes in the ship which was boarded up with wooden beams, "isn't fixing. It's just plugging holes really shittily."

Usopp stuck out his tongue then turned his long nose up at the chef. "You're unhelpful and annoying!"

"You're face is very interesting, Usopp!" Chopper squealed in amusement. This successfully calmed the sniper down who now felt the need to make the face constantly.

"I guess those shitheads don't want to know what's for dinner… I should check on that seagull soup," the chef mused as he turned around to look at the town of Jaya just to see two of his crewmates scuffed up and two very irate women escorting the men. "Luffy! Zoro!"

"What's with those wounds?" Usopp howled in worry as he took in the men's condition. "What happened?"

"Nami-swaaaaaaaaaan! Are you hurt? Andrea-saaaaaan, are you ok?" Sanji whimpered just to get a half hearted shrug from the marine and the cold shoulder from the navigator.

"They need a doctor!" squealed Chopper who got shoved by Usopp immediately.

"You're the doctor! Go treat their wounds!" barked the sniper just to be met with a slight chuckle from Luffy and Andrea. They had gotten into the ship where Chopper set about immediately treating the scratches and scuffs the men had.

"Luffy… don't be too much like Shanks or you'll start reeking of alcohol," Andrea mumbled softly as she felt her narcolepsy start to tug at her eyelids.

"They were just stupid, overrated pirates! We're awesome, underrated ones! They still don't know my bounty," the rubber man chortled just to have Nami flick his forehead with annoyance.

"You all let go of that so easily but I'm still pissed," the navigator admitted just to get more steamed. "That response was so ugh! Wouldn't a real man have pulverized that challenger to dust? This city just pisses me off! We didn't you all bash it to bits?" screamed Nami as he hollered with rage just to be met with a few wry grins.

"A while ago you told us to not cause trouble," mumbled the first mate just to rouse a laugh out the marine.

"I kinda did a little shit to them after ya'll left," admitted Andrea who just slumped backwards to watch the clouds. "With you all yanking at me though, I couldn't clean up that town as properly as I would want." Nami could sense the annoyance still radiating from the marine who had very much bristled about the insinuation she could be so easily bought.

"So the one other than me who stood up for our crew isn't even in it!" snarled Nami who looked at Zoro with rage in her eyes. "Just forget what I said earlier!" she commanded just for the swordsman to facepalm silently.

"Why is she emotional?" Usopp pondered as he looked at her to see her relatively scratchless. "She wasn't hurt at all physically."

"Must be a girl thing. Andrea got a bit bitchy too but that was funny," chortled Luffy just to be met with a half hearted flip off from his sister which only caused his grin to grow.

"So…," Chopper nervously put the finishing touches on a wrapping for Luffy's arm. "Did you find any information about a sky island?"

Nami, who almost had calmed down, just became more infuriated. "I don't care anymore about a sky island. Those patrons in the tavern just laughed at me," she growled and despite Andrea's sympathetic nod, she saw confused looks on her crewmates. "Is everything I say so damn funny because I say it?" snapped the navigator. The crew flailed around in fear of Nami's rage but the familiar, soothing voice of the ship's archeologist put things to rest.

"Did a fight happen?" pondered the brunette as she met the crew's odd looks. "Oh I went to buy some clothes as I doubt Navigator-san would appreciate me borrowing her clothing for extended periods of time." Nami nodded with narrow eyes cautiously. "I also nosed about to find more information about that sky island."

"You and your talk about a sky island caused me to get laughed at," the enraged navigator fumed towards the cool headed woman. "If this turns out to be a load of bull, I'm feeding you to the sea kings!"

Robin tilted her head questioningly at the flaming orange haired woman just to be talked down by Usopp. "Don't anger her right now. Or rather… just keep away from here completely!" advised the sniper who was getting mean mugged by Nami's eyes.

Shrugging, Robin passed a piece of paper into Luffy's hands but before she could step into the woman's cabin, Luffy's voice stopped her. "A treasure map?" he pondered before Usopp corrected him.

"Nah. Looks like just a normal map," the sniper observed studiously.

"Correct. It is of this island." She stepped carefully over Andrea's now sleeping body as she picked the middle of the way in front of the girl's cabin to take her nap rather than make it all the way into the cabin. "We're on the west side of the island but on the east side is a man who can help. He was exiled for talking about his dreams and from what I could gather, the similarities between our crew and him might help us gather some information."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace stared at his Den Den Mushi in confusion. He's had a couple prank calls from his little brother but the call he just got from his sister was most unusual. There had been a bunch of background talk about a sky island but all he could focus on was her single sentence. "He's in Jaya but not for long." Before he could ask any further, the snail had been hung up leaving the flame logia in confusion.

* * *

-An hour later-

* * *

"We just barely set sail again and that is just plain weird!" Luffy admitted as he looked at the ship in front of them.

"I wonder if this will be trouble," pondered Sanji as he crushed his cigarette between his fingers while simultaneously reaching for another.

"That is a familiar ship. Maybe it's that salvage monkey," Usopp muttered with curiosity as he squinted to get a better look at the ship. "So I suppose Jaya was their base."

"Well, it's not like he matters at all," deadpanned Luffy who stared at the ship while picking his nose. "Oh it's a different dude," noted the captain who just flicked a booger in the direction of the ship.

"Gah. I thought it was someone who could pose a threat," muttered the other ship's captain who was a rather large, gorilla like man.

"You're face is weird. What are you?" Luffy tactlessly asked just to be met with outrage from the other ship.

"I'm a human, you idiot! But I suppose you just are normal pirates." Zoro and Sanji both snickered to themselves about the idea of the Straw Hat pirates being normal. "I wonder if you heard that the Shichibukai seat once held by Crocodile is vacant." Luffy gave a small nod to the man's joy. "If they judge by power, it shall be mine. I'm a little anxious waiting for my official invite."

Andrea barked with laughter while in her sleep. The captain narrowed his eyes at the sleeping marine who just rolled over. "Hilarious… I think Ace's left ass cheek has more power than this ape," mumbled the brunette into the deck of the ship. Thankfully only the Straw Hat crew heard the words but it had provoked quite a giggle.

Luffy suppressed his grin long enough to want to give into his curiosity. "You really want to join the Shichibukai?"

The apelike man was flattered to hear the inquiry although it was only done out of barebones courtesy. "Oh since you're wondering about me, I'll tell you something special. Ever since I was born, for all twenty five of my years, I never had a haircut. Are you bamboozled by my greatness yet?"

The Straw Hat crew just looked in pure wonder with one single thought reverberating through their minds. _He really is that stupid…_

After a momentary, sleepy snort from his sister, Luffy tilted his head at the captain. "You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?"

"Passing through my territory in such a manner will earn you my fury! The results will be the ocean painted red with blood!" the apelike captain pointed dramatically at Luffy who just rolled his eyes and upon feeling an itch, started to scratch his butt.

"Whatever. Just move it. We have places to be."

The rudeness of the scrawny pirate put a great rage into the captain. "If you want to pass my territory, you will pay a toll!"

"Oh… you want a toll?" smirked Luffy rather sinisterly declared his hind end adequately scratched and he reached for his sister with his other hand. She had curled into a ball as she was prone to during her narcoleptic sleeping fits. Her marine jacket had draped around her like a large blanket despite her tall, lanky frame. "Here's your toll!" Luffy shouted as he hurled Andrea onto the ship similarly to how his grandfather could hurl cannonballs.

"You have some impressive balls, Captain," admitted Zoro to Luffy as they watched the idiotic pirate crew poke curiously at the sleeping marine. Sanji was torn between being too stupefied at what Luffy had done, admitting that move was ballsy, and his outrage due to being a gentleman to say anything and merely observed. One of the men had the nerve to attempt to grope the marine but as soon as his hand barely touched her backside, her head rose up in a barely contained rage.

"Who the fuck touched me?" she hissed and the once brave man who once had the courage felt immediately tiny when the rage of the tall marine woman was focused on him. Drawing herself to her full height and yanking out her blade with little ceremony or care, the minute the metal touched the man's throat, he started to wet himself.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Bellamy listened to the tavern's many rumors with displeasure that made the wine in his glass taste sour and bitter. However, hearing gold made the blond's ears twitch happily and his sneering face lit up with glee as he approached the minor pirates who had been rumor mongering. "So tell me about this Cricket guy and the gold you think he found," he demanded just to be faced with more lily-livered wimps willing to crumble and surrender their information easily. He barely swallowed his disgust of the men just enough to take in the information being offered to him.


	61. In the Water

Bleh, my chest started hurting again but without the hives... Annoying but I want to avoid that damn hospital again lol

Happy to see a new follower/favorite. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks as always to 18KmPerHour and OnePiecefan202 for your reviews :D  
-18KmPerHour, you were correct with your guess about Andy informing Ace albeit sneakily as the crew is wary of her using that Den Den Mushi!  
-OnePiecefan202, Robin does have black hair but I know brunette can be used as a term loosely in referring to females with dark hair but it does allude somewhat to brown hair. Just clarifying that I understand the confusion and in the story, I used it as a way to group her and Andrea together at times as finding a term to group them without throwing Nami into the same category is a pain X_X Andrea's hair color is actually very similar to Robin's but a few tones lighter due to the intense sun in Alabasta. Where Robin had a hat or was inside for a good deal of time, a bit of Andrea's spywork caused her to forego the protectiveness of a hat :p Who knows, I might make a running gag of this xD

In other news: I put a poll up on my profile of story ideas I have that I am looking to possibly explore after finishing this story but have no fears! Andrea is staying put for a long time and has quite a ways to go before being done. I won't start another story until I complete this one.

I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter's mix of funny and seriousness

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 61: In the Water**

"Luffy, you're such an idiot!" Usopp sobbed as he patched the holes left in the Going Merry from his captain's idea to use Andrea's grumpy waking up temper as a 'toll.'

"Well… it turned out better than it could have!" Luffy chirped as he glanced momentarily at his sister who was stretched out on the deck, enjoying the sun now that she was able to sleep in peace.

"Luffy… look!" The first hole he pointed to was a person sized hole where that pirate crew had practically hurled back the marine after Andrea had made a point of wrecking their ship. "And this!" He now pointed to the slightly charred mast where Andrea, rather irate at her 'fun' and revenge being denied, tried to launch a flame from her right hand. "And don't forget what Chopper did!" Their furry doctor had grown himself in an attempt to restrain and give first aid to the marine only for her to go ballistic and crash him into the cabin partially. "And finally, the sides of the boat! I swear they left skid marks in the ocean with how fast they were determined to get away from us!"

"Well… today was just crappy. Plus the boat looking like this now doesn't help. Should we get a new one?" Zoro muttered as he was being forced to cover the lower part of the mast with a flame retardant metal to prevent future incidents.

"Don't say something like that!" snarled Usopp as he shook his hammer threateningly at the swordsman.

"Don't worry, Usopp! The Going Merry is our friend… we just have to work hard to help her!" The sniper was tearing with joy before Luffy hammered too hard at the boards covering the person sized hole and caused an even greater hole to form. "Shit!"

"You rubber idiot!" howled the stressed sniper as he tried to hit Luffy multiple times with his hammer.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu was slightly glad to be so close to Marineford now as without Andrea, things were terribly dull and there were no pressing emergencies that required his attention. He smirked at the latest report his navigator had handed him about 'issues' arising in an island called Jaya involving a marine being tugged along by a group of pirates. "Well, I'm glad you're getting something out of this trip," he mused as he reached for a cigar. She had turned her nose up at the 'luxury' and his response about that she used to treat sake this way did not go well either.

"I don't mind kissing you if you drank sake but if you smoke that smelly stuff, forget it!" she had groaned at him one day when he had reached for them. He mused as he poked the cigars around the box before putting it away.

_Would be bad to chance getting addicted when Kuzan could rescue her any day now… _He stared at the Den Den Mushi in hope then sighed. _I need another damn hobby._ He pulled out his poor bonsai which looked like a stub of a plant with only a few branches left.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Going Merry as he happily surveyed the eastern portion of Jaya. "Who are we looking for?" he asked Robin as with all the excitement of earlier, he had all but forgotten.

"Montblanc Cricket," Robin gently reminded him as she took in the salty sea air.

"And this man is supposed to be a dreamer," Nami mused softly as she took in the sight before her.

"Oh my god! That is so cool!" Usopp and Luffy gasped as they pointed to a castle. "This dude must be loaded!" Luffy gushed excitedly just to be smacked by Zoro.

"Look closer, stupid." Times like this gave the first mate a pounding headache.

"The shitty Marimo is right," Sanji admitted as he took a drag on his cigarette. "This dreamer is rather an attention getter."

Chopper stretched out the fur around his eyes in an attempt to see what the other two were seeing. "What are you two talking about?"

Rolling her eyes, Nami docked the ship and the minute they touched land, Luffy excitedly grabbed onto his sister's ankle and began to drag her sunning, dozing form off the ship without regards to the fact she was face down on her belly.. "Oi, shitty captain!" protested Sanji as he pointed to Andrea.

"Oh! Thanks Sanji!" the rubber captain said appreciatively as he rolled over his sister to her back then continued to drag her to the castle. Sanji just covered his face with incredibility and watched Luffy get close to the castle. "I can't believe it's just a board!" he groaned in disappointment.

"Interesting how the house is half a house and half plywood," Zoro pointed out as he tapped the wood with his sword's sheath.

"Just probably cheap," Sanji snorted in amusement as Luffy was still loudly howling his sadness of not finding a castle.

"Robin, what dreams was this man talking about when he was exiled?" inquired Nami as she took in the scene with a critical eye.

"I'm unsure of the details but one of the things mentioned was a massive pile of gold on Jaya." The archeologist watched with amusement as the navigator's eyes had Beri within. She reached into one of Usopp's pockets and pulled out a shovel. "Quick! Chopper dig out the gold!" she commanded as she began to scour the beaches.

"Oh? I just look through the sand to find it?" Chopper asked as she began to paw at the sand quickly with his hooves.

Sanji poked at the board with his foot. "Weird how he lives here by himself."

"Hey! I'm going to come in now!" Luffy chirped happily as he opened the house without much mind for courtesy yet alone noticing that he was still dragging his older sister who had not grumbled one bit during the ordeal.

"Luffy! You can't just enter someone's home like that!" Usopp screeched as he quickly followed his captain. "Oh… no one was home anyway."

Luffy looked around the small house in interest and placed his sister on the bed he noticed. She scrunched her face in irritation but did not wake up. "Hello!" the rubbery captain had called out in hopes of attracting attention.

"Luffy! Don't do that and how is your sister not awake by now?" Usopp questioned with curiosity as he looked at the dozing marine who seemed more annoyed at the idea of being in a bed yet did not wake with Luffy's loud mouth or the way he dragged her by her ankle.

"That's just the way she is," he shrugged as he looked through the fridge and was disappointed at the lack of meat. "He's not even here!" the captain called out to his crew as he stepped outside.

Nami raised an elegant eyebrow and just looked around. "Huh. A picture book and it looks a bit worn." She daintily dusted it and looked at the title. "King of Lairs, Norland."

Hearing about lairs made Usopp curious to the point he ignored Luffy's blatant rudeness towards the man whose house they just snooped through. "That book sounds cool!"

"Oh! That book brings back memories," Sanji snickered as he recalled his childhood.

"How would you know about this book?" Nami wondered as she tried to remember what she could about the amorous chef. "It's published in the North Blue after all."

"I was born there," the chef informed as his swirly eyebrow scrunched. "I thought I told you all already."

Usopp chewed on his lower lip as he tried to recall anything about his crewmate's origins. "I thought you were from the East Blue."

Sanji laughed as his eyes grew happy at having Nami's attention. "I grew up in the East Blue but the story is really popular in the North Blue. It may be a kid's story but I heard the guy was real." His eyes fogged up happily as he gave a brief summary but he was unaware that elsewhere on Jaya, the same was happening.

-Meanwhile-

"So you're saying this Cricket guy is related to the fabled Montblanc Norland?" Bellamy mused as he looked at his first mate who nodded. "Since we're from the North Blue, we've all heard the tales but if they really are real…"

Sarkies only chuckled as he drank from his mug. "I remember if you told lies, you were told you'd end up like Norland!"

"Amusing how stupid these dreams that people have!" Bellamy chortled and his crew joined in causing an even greater ruckus."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kuzan hummed with interest as he plucked a book that had gotten frozen in his bikes path. Flicking the book gently, he knocked the ice off it and began to read as he rode his bike. The crooked path caused by his lack of attention was something he would refuse to mention to the other admirals.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy flicked at the water in annoyance as he listened to the story. Usopp was displeased at the ending but before he could protest, Nami's sudden shriek attracted the crew's attention. "Luffy fell in the water!"

"What are you doing?" Usopp shouted as he ran towards the water but a figure emerging attracted his attention more.

"Who the hell are you punks!" grunted a muscular man with blond hair. "You have a lot of nerve to enter a man's house and although I don't mind a lady in my bed, that is not the way to do so!" He narrowed his eyes dangerously at the Straw Hat crew. "I'm guessing you're a bunch of pirates who want the gold." He looked at the holes that Nami and Chopper had dug before tensing. "Prepare to die!" He lashed out at the closest pirate, Sanji with his legs and tried to chop him with his arm only to be blocked by Sanji's leg. Before the chef could counter attack, he pulled out a gun and shot Sanji point blank.

"Sanji!" shrieked Nami and Chopper as they watched the mini fight.

The chef sat up in annoyance as his cigarette had been dropped in the fight. "Don't worry. He missed," the blond grunted in annoyance but before he could get closer, the muscular man began to shoot at him again.

"Idiot! That's what you get for taking him on!" Zoro yelled in annoyance as he prepared to charge but before he could get close, the man collapsed.

"I got Luffy!" shouted Usopp as he dragged him onto the shore. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" he scolded his captain just to be faced with a pout.

"I saw something weird in the water so I tried to reach for it then that old guy grabbed me!" the rubber man protested but then he saw the man laid out on the ground.

"Don't just stand there! Bring him in!" a sleepy female voice barked. The crew turned around to see Andrea leaning against the doorway. Quickly they brought him in and Chopper began to bark his own orders as he assessed the man's condition.

"Sanji! More cold towels!" the chef nodded as he dampened some rags. "Andrea! Open the windows!" The marine strode off quietly and did as bid.

"Is this dude sick?" Luffy asked in a stage whisper as he attempted to poke him in the bed but the paramecia's hand was slapped away by an irate reindeer.

"He's suffering symptoms that result from diving. The effects aren't long term however and will pass." Chopper looked pleased at his diagnosis and began to describe more but his captain just tuned out the speech.

"Ok so he's sick with weird stuff," Luffy deduced as he looked out the window.

"To get to this extent, he would have to dive everyday however," intoned Chopper darkly as he sat back to watch over his new patient.

"Why would he do something so drastic?" Nami asked curiously but Andrea saw something out of the corner of her eye that caught her attention.

"It's dangerous and possibly lethal too," the doctor muttered in sadness. Andrea nodded softly as she took off a photo she saw on the wall that had the man along with the two, monkey like captains with him.


	62. Childhoods

As always, thanks to OnePiecefan202 and 18KmPerHour for your reviews :)

I hope everyone votes in the little poll I made on my profile page

Enjoy this chapter and the next one should be a nice one too!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 62: Childhoods**

"Boss! Are you ok?" the two monkey-like captains shouted as they burst into Cricket's small house. They were shocked to see the Straw Hat crew inside the little residence overlooking their friend. "You're here to kill us!" they shrieked as they pointed at Luffy.

"Idiots," scoffed Andrea as she held onto the little photo in her hands. "If you were going to die, it would have happened earlier."

"We're taking care of your friend so just shut up," growled Luffy and to his surprise, both of the monkey men looked at him with adoration.

"Such a great group of people!" they sobbed in joy and even embraced Luffy.

"So… you both live here with him?" Nami asked softly as to not disturb Cricket.

"Nah, this is our boss's home," Masira, the taller of the ape-like humans mumbled. "In a way, it's also our headquarters."

"We usually live on our ships," the more gorilla of the two added to his brother's comments.

Before Luffy could converse more with the men, Chopper ran outside to retrieve him with a quiet Andrea at his heels. "Luffy! Cricket's awake!"

Luffy grinned happily and charged inside, dragging his sister limply at his side. "Oi mister! I got a question for you!"

Cricket nodded at the exuberant pirate. "I thank you for your help and apologize for the trouble. I thought you were more idiots trying to steal gold." Nami's eyes lit up happily to the point Usopp had to restrain her. "So what was it you were going to ask me?"

"We want to go to Skypeia! Tell us how to get there please," Luffy asked with a wide grin but to his shock, Cricket started snorting with laughter.

"You guys believe in that?" he cracked up and was almost pummeled by an angered Nami who again, had to be physically restrained by Usopp.

Luffy's eyes rolled in annoyance. "I'm certain it exists!" he sputtered just to have Andrea give him a one armed hug to calm him down.

Cricket smirked as he told them the story of his ancestor's legacy involving Jaya as well as attempting to justify Norland's actions but unfortunately, Usopp had to speak up. "So you're trying to prove his innocence by diving to find the city?"

Andrea's quick eyes enabled to push Usopp down when Cricket retaliated rather violently and almost shot him in the head. "Don't start with that shit!" the blond diver snarled. "The actions or whoever my ancestor is has nothing to with me. Just for being descended from him, can you imagine how you get treated? How a child would feel in that situation? Well, that was my childhood!" He quieted down at Robin's icy look, Luffy's pensive expression, and Andrea's sudden hostility as she burst out of the house. Nami shifted rather uncomfortably and rubbed her tattooed arm. Sanji looked at his feet rather guiltily and noticed Zoro who stared at his blades quietly. Usopp and Chopper were remarkably quiet as Cricket continued without noticing how tense the environment had become. "Many members of my family attempted to redeem our family's name and I felt ashamed being in the family so I ran away to become a pirate."

"You know… you remind me of my brother," Luffy said thoughtfully as he glanced towards the door where his sister had still not returned.

Cricket raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Well, I really didn't want to be a pirate but yet… I ended up here. And so, before I die, I want to tell everyone the truth!"

Usopp teared up with tears of joy. "That's the power of a man!"

"So those two monkeys…" Luffy inquired as he peeked outside to make sure his sister had not destroyed anything too vital.

Cricket waved them off humorously. "Oh they're just fans."

Usopp facepalmed while Nami chuckled. "That's… rather simplistic."

"Those two dumbasses however," Cricket paused to take a drag on his cigarette, "saved my life as this lifestyle is very lonely and much of my time was spent diving constantly."

"Beautiful!" Usopp sobbed in joy. "The power of comradeship shall be admired!"

Luffy started to scratch his butt in boredom. "So… enough about those idiots." Usopp flailed indignantly at Luffy's interruption before his captain shoved him away. "So tell me about Skypeia already!"

Cricket smirked and handed Nami a book to read out loud to the crew.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So… I heard you took on two people officially. How goes it Gramps?" Andrea asked curiously as she held the Den Den Mushi in her hand cautiously.

"Well, aside from finding out my idiot grandson kidnapped my, what I thought was brilliant, granddaughter… I guess I'm doing fine," scowled out the voice from the speaker.

"Well… It's not like I could beat him up anyway!" retorted the marine in annoyance who had to endure Garp's laughter. "Besides, I can't call anyone else really! Your voice keeps Luffy away so I'm safe with you."

"I'm trying to figure out if that's a compliment or not," grumbled the old marine who started chewing on some meat his subordinate brought. "Anyway, is there a point to this call or am I passing messages to your boyfriend?"

Andrea sighed as her grandfather began to chuckle. "Can't I just call you just to call you?"

"Just cut the crap, Andy!" he growled in the receiver. "Now, you're the quiet one who figures crap out so that fact you contacted me means something is wrong."

"Is it bad I joined the marines, Gramps?" She stopped as the marine started to choke on the food he was eating.

"Why would you say something like that?" he roared in protest before remembering that he was talking to his granddaughter and not his grandsons. Clearing his throat, he asked much more softly, "Andrea, did you join for the right reasons?"

"I wouldn't say I did but I can stay for the right ones." She did not realize when tears started down her eyes but she could not stop it. "I wish I didn't hide who I was."

"You really aren't," Garp remarked thoughtfully. "Anyone who really matters knows anyway."

Andrea chuckled. "Thanks, Gramps. You always make me feel better when I talk to you."

"So, I shouldn't be worried when I don't hear from you then," the marine hero grumbled good humouredly.

"I should get back to Luffy then before he worries. Bye Gramps!" she hung up the snail and walked back to the modest house behind the opulent cutout of a castle.

She was surprised to see everyone outside the house and even more shocked to hear Cricket's voice. "I'll tell you all I know about how to get to that sky island. However, a good deal of it cannot be proven true. Therefore, it's your choice to pick and choose what you believe."

"Hi Andy!" Luffy chirped as his sister slumped next to him. "I believe you already," he addressed the diver just to have Usopp smack him in irritation.

"Don't decide yet you idiot!" the sniper snapped before Zoro's soft snoring interrupted his thoughts.

Cricket took this as the cue to continue. "In some areas on the sea during the day, it would darken immediately as if nighttime."

"I remember that!" Luffy shouted happily as he raised his hand.

"There were also giant monsters that appeared," intoned Usopp quietly as fear took over his voice.

"I have theories on those giants but that's not for now. I believe the sudden night is caused by shadows of dense clouds." For added emphasize, the muscular blond man pointed upwards.

"But nimbostratus clouds shouldn't cause the sky to turn so dark!" Nami protested in confusion.

"Mister, you're just stupid. It likely was just a cloudy day," scoffed Luffy who just got smacked by his sister. Usopp and Chopper were going to follow suite with the rubber pirate until they saw him faceplant into the sand with the force of Andrea's smack.

"I'd shut you up, stupid runt, but your sister already did that for me," deadpanned Cricket before he turned to Nami. "That cloud does not rain but rather anytime it's in the sky, it blocks out the sun completely. There are theories of it lasting for a long time and in a way, being a cloud fossil!"

"But to be so dense and not rain…?" Nami bit her lip as she tried to process this information.

"If things at great density produced precipitation, Luffy would have water pouring out of his ears." Luffy started to pout at his sister who apologized after seeing his face.

Cricket shook his head at the amusing crew. "So, let's get onto that cloud then!" He ran to Zoro and smacked his forehead. "Wake up! Let's go!"

"We don't know how to get there yet, idiot!" Nami snarled as she proceeded to beat up Luffy and Usopp for being too excitable on so little information.

"You'll have to risk your life to get there," intoned Cricket ominously just to have Usopp and Luffy look at him shiftily.

"Have you met my sister?" muttered Luffy quietly while Usopp nodded.

"Or realized that we deal with Nami daily?" the sniper added.

Rolling his eyes at the two idiots, Cricket continued. "There's a current that shouts upwards and you have to ride it with your ship."

"So we explode onto the cloud?" Luffy asked with a tilted head of confusion.

"There has to be safer ways to get there," Andrea muttered cautiously.

"Ships that get blown up to the sky would just crash down… I heard so myself," Nami mumbled uncomfortably.

"Timing is what matters and a good navigator can figure it out," he complimented her unintentionally which made the navigator sparkle in joy. "This is a disaster that happens every so often for about a minute and also the cloud needs to be there just right or it's a waste of effort. And if Skypeia doesn't exist, you'll just crash down."

Usopp's eyes widened in fear. "Ok so we'll just forget about going there. How unfortunate! Ready to go, Luffy?"

"Awesome. Sounds like a fun adventure!" the rubber man practically squealed with joy as he lifted up his sister to joyously dance with her.

Andrea swayed with her brother's enthusiasm until Usopp rescued her from her brother. "Luffy… without proof, can we do this? Look at the Going Merry's condition!"

Cricket glanced critically at the ship and barely repressed a snort. "Even a new ship likely wouldn't withstand the current." He tilted his head and squinted his eyes to reevaluate the ship. "That ship would definitely get blown apart. But… I may have a solution with Masira and Shoujou's help. We'll reinforce the ship's strength and hopefully you'll be fine."

"You can count on us!" the monkey brothers shouted happily.

"You guys are awesome!" Luffy chirped back happily while Nami and Usopp sweat dropped in the background.

"Luffy… we have to leave soon or the log pose will point to the next island!" Nami grumbled as she held onto the dizzily swaying Andrea.

"Besides, what are the chances that the cloud will be there and that current? So exceedingly low right, Cricket?" Usopp chuckled nervously.

"Tomorrow around noon it should happen. We need to work immediately!" he intoned with a dark humor as he saw the blatant fear on the sniper's face. "I'm guessing you wouldn't want to go." Sanji danced happily out of the house before Usopp could protest any further. As the smell of food reached Cricket's nose, he smiled happily. "Fearless idiots like you I'm glad to meet. So please enjoy the hospitality of my home and we'll work on getting you to that sky island later, my comrade."

Usopp squealed happily as the crew prepared to party hard.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"We're almost there, Bellamy!" the blond's navigator muttered as he squinted down the spyglass.

"It would be a waste to let dreamers have a chance at gold," chortled the blond captain as he waved at his crew happily.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu glared at the Den Den Mushi in his hands. "Repeat that?"

"Don't take too long getting my granddaughter back or she'll enjoy the pirate's life a bit too much," chortled Garp as he thoroughly enjoyed the admiral's frustration. "Oh and if you break her heart, I'll kill you."

The snail clicked off and the magma logia stared even more. _What the fuck?_


	63. Birds and Bugs

This chapter actually was written very quickly after the prior one but I might have been going off the adrenaline :o

I thank dark-driex-07, OnePiecefan202, 18KmPerHour, and VIVI for your reviews! I hope to get more reviews from others soon :)  
-dark-driex-07: I really do try to update every day with a chapter of at least 1k words or so that way, I stay into/current with the story and stay committed a lot easier. Although I would like more reviews/follows, I do appreciate the ones I get, especially for the most recent chapters :) And yes! We really need more Akainu/OC pairings... would be interesting to have more of him show up in stories without him always playing the antagonist which I admit he does a good job of doing xD  
-OnePiecefan202: Yes, Garp is really humorously protective... just in his own destructive way xD  
-18KmPerhour: Writing Garp is a load of fun. I was thinking of making a story about him but he lacks a little background info that would make the plot I had in mind difficult D: Also in my opinion, Garp's habit of forming doors through walls by going through them is classic example of his canonical WTF's  
-VIVI: I'm glad you enjoy the chapter :)

Pretty serious chapter that I hope everyone enjoys.

Also please vote in my story poll on my profile!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 63: Birds and Bugs**

"We… need a south bird?" Andrea inquired politely as he was trying to explain, mid party mode, about the purpose of these mysterious birds.

"To get south, you need one," Cricket replied simply as if talking to a child.

"We'll sail south then. Screw the bird!" Luffy snorted as Andrea groaned at her brother's logic.

"Don't you know where you are?" Cricket roared just to have Luffy blankly look back. "Compasses are unreliable due to the magnetic fields around, idiot."

Nami stared at her log pose, still pointing stubbornly up, with sadness. "We're not trying to locate an island either so the log pose wouldn't help."

"So that's why you need the bird," Andrea deduced as she nibbled at the soup that Sanji had happily provided citing he got the meat fresh.

"Some animals have a natural sense of direction that can be considered quite reliable," informed Cricket as he motioned to the gold idol of the bird in his hand.

"Pigeons have a similar ability I've heard," Nami added and for some reason, a huge grin came to Luffy's face and he stared at Zoro with great amusement.

"Animals are better than you at finding directions!" the pirate captain exclaimed with great amusement just to be wrestled by an annoyed swordsman.

"Anyway, those birds have the best sense of direction around so without the bird, you can't get to that island!" Cricket surveyed the party, saw his friends relaxing with the pirates before tilting his head. "Well… maybe we should have tracked down that bird and fixed the ship rather than having a party… Damn."

It did not take long for every member of the Straw Hats and the reluctant marine to be shoved out of the house with a net in hand to capture the elusive bird. Andrea led the way with a small light hovering in her palm while Robin followed closely, glaring at the marine every step of the way. Chopper flopped every so often after tripping on a tree root. "Ugh, I ate too much!" the reindeer protested just to be scooted along by Sanji's foot.

"Keep moving," he shoved the doctor softly forward as he attempted to push Usopp off him. "Stop yanking on me!"

"Even with Andy's little light thingy, it's too damn hard to see!" grumbled Luffy as he waved his net almost blindly in front of him.

"Let's just hurry so we can get back to drinking," muttered Zoro who struggled to keep Andrea's lit palm in sight otherwise he would get lost.

"I say we just keep the stupid bird after all this trouble," Nami groaned as she fished another rock out of her sandal. "Such a hassle!"

"Why didn't we do this during the daytime?!" Usopp protested loudly after Sanji pushed him off and into a tree.

Andrea rolled her eyes and played with the light in her palm out of boredom. "Because when there still was daylight, we weren't told about the damn bird. Now shut up and find the stupid thing."

"I can't find it if I don't see it. Light up more, Andy!" Luffy whined just to have his nose flicked by her right hand.

"I'm not a devil fruit user remember? I can only do so much and keep it under control. Also using this light is better than flame." To emphasize her point, she let the light flicker out and allowed a flame to emerge but the visibility dipped immediately.

"Well… even if we can't rely on sight, we can still hear the shitty bird." Sanji scratched his ear in irritation as he tried to listen carefully.

"But Cricket wasn't specific about the sound. How can we find it with such vague advice?" Usopp complained just to be shushed by Sanji's voice.

"Well, he said we'd know when we heard it." As if on cue, the bird chirped and they immediately knew. Devising a plan, the group of pirates decided to split into three groups as they only had three nets. Sanji, Usopp and Nami took off with one net while Luffy and Chopper went off with the other net leaving the final net with Zoro, Robin and a reluctant Andrea.

It did not take long for the natural sounds of the forest to get drowned out by a most recognizable sound. "I hear screaming now," Robin mused softly as she kept her eyes cautiously on the marine.

"Just ignore those idiots," Zoro growled as he punched a large centipede. He held up the immense but to the women, both of which scrunched their faces in distaste. "It's rather large."

"And disgusting. Please stop showing it off like a trophy," complained the lanky marine who kicked at the bug cautiously as if worried it was going to leap up and strike her.

"Well, killing it is likely bad karma. Look at how pitiful they are," Robin pointed out as the bug squirmed in the swordsman's grasp.

"They attacked me first so it's fair game. And since we're talking about bad karma…" Zoro gazed intensely at Robin who felt another cold glare from the marine. "You're hiding something that you won't let Andrea reveal the entirety of. Don't forget that I don't trust you."

Robin shrugged as she smiled. "That's fine but please know you're heading back the way we came." Even by the weak light produced by Andrea's palm, the archeologist could see the blush of embarrassment on the swordsman who stomped towards the sudden chirping of the south bird. "Also please be careful of the slime you just stepped in." Despite her distrust of Robin, Andrea could not help but chuckle at Zoro's predicament as she helped the swordsman out of his slimy mess.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Amazing. You must be Cricket's bodyguards," Bellamy muttered in amusement as he glanced at the apelike men before him who stood protectively around the blond diver. "Your story was so touching, I could have cried. But who am I to deny the sensation of taking someone's hard work and labors away from them?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Why do we keep encountering these damn bugs?" Zoro scowled as he slashed at the annoying insects. "It's not like they can win!"

"Maybe you pissed them off when you beat up that centipede?" Andrea scowled as she shied away from the beetles reaching out for them. "Anyway, shoo them away please!"

"I hear that chirp again!" Robin informed with great amusement as she had sprouted, with her powers, additional ears so she could pinpoint the bird's location.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"What an interesting statue!" Bellamy cooed in wonder as he held the golden idol of a south bird in his hand.

"You… have no right!" scowled Cricket despite the injuries he had sustained from the slightly insane pirate crew who had assaulted him and his friends.

Bellamy shrugged in great amusement as he motioned to himself. "Look at the difference in power between us. What more of a right could we require?" Seeing the divers not back down had only irritated Bellamy further, especially when one of the ape men tried to use sound to disable him. Squatting down and letting his devil fruit powers do the work for him. Bones broken, Cricket groaned with pain as memories of his friends finding the very gold the Bellamy pirates stole surged through him. He tried to drag himself to take the gold back just to be pushed back by Bellamy without any effort. "Let go of those foolish dreams, old geezer. A proper pirate knows that idle fantasies won't come true!" he cackled but as he turned away, he footsteps follow him.

"Hold it, petulant child." Bellamy turned around grinning wildly to see Cricket stare at him with cold eyes. "A chicken like you who lacks the guts to fight for what he wants using the power of his dreams has no right to talk about being a pirate."

Bellamy's eyes widened at the scolding before narrowing dangerously. "What did you just say?" he howled in anger.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin smiled serenely in amusement as Zoro tried to brush off bug guts off his sword. "Andrea-san, why did you have to flame the bugs? This smelly bug shit won't get off my blades," he whined just to be swatted at in annoyance by the marine.

"You let them get too close to me and I kindafreakedout," Andrea muttered just to have Luffy and Chopper walk up to them, laughing with amusement.

"Yeah I should have told you that. Andy really really really hates bugs!" the rubber man chuckled as he held a particularly fat bug in front of his sister. She shrieked immediately and out of sheer reflex, punched the bug. Zoro and Robin glanced at each other momentarily as they both wondered if they really did see an odd sheen on the marine's hand for that split second when it impacted onto the bug. Luffy flailed around in disgust. "Ewwwwwwwww! Now I'm covered in bug guts!"

"I can't hear the shitty bird over your mouth!" Sanji scowled as he walked with Nami and Usopp into the clearing where the crew had gathered.

"With so many people, we should be able to find and catch it," reasoned Usopp just to be scoffed at by Andrea who was busy wiping her hand, smeared with bug guts, onto a leafy, short palm.

"Quality, not quantity," she grumbled as she inspected her hand and was displeased to see it sticky. "I hate all these bugs. They kept getting in the way." A distinctive sound caught the crew's attention immediately but before Chopper could translate what likely was an insult from the bird, Robin took her chance. Activating her devil fruit powers, she disabled the smart ass bird. Andrea begrudgingly gave a nod to the archeologist as she carefully scooped up the bird who did not mind being held by a woman. Seeing the lecherous look in the bird's eye, Andrea passed it off to Nami who took a great interest in the animal.

The trek back to the little house hiding behind the cutout was rather uneventful but the sight that awaited them was disastrous. "What happened?" Sanji cried out as he saw destruction around them.

"Look what happened to Merry!" Usopp howled in intense anger and distraught fury.

"Oi, Cricket-san. Wake up!" Luffy said in concern as he motioned his sister to the blond diver. Andrea gently held the man as Chopper worked as hard and as fast as he could to wrap the wounds.

"We tried to help but we still have time. We need… to fix the ship so you can go to Skypiea!" Cricket sputtered out weakly just to have Luffy shake his head.

"Wait! What happened already?!" the rubber captain asked in protest. Andrea closed her eyes in an attempt to get an idea of who could have been nearby but the feelings she was sensing were too faint to get a distinct idea of.

Cricket's eyes widened slightly seeing the bird that Nami had given to Zoro to hold tightly while she searched the house. "More importantly, with that south bird, you can get moving."

"Luffy! The gold stuff is missing!" Nami reported from the damaged house. Luffy's eyes widened as he paled in anger. He gave a sideways glance to his sister who nodded and stood up with her sibling.

Cricket coughed some blood and squirmed despite Chopper's protests. "Don't worry about the gold. Just forget it."

"We can't just forget it and neither should you!" howled Usopp in fury. "You spent such a long time diving for that stuff and even sacrificed your health!"

"That's my problem and not yours," Cricket replied as he turned to Luffy. "With the crew of my friends, we'll be able to fix the ship and get you to Skypiea easily."

"Luffy!" Zoro called out to get his captain's attention and pointed at a symbol painted onto the little house. Andrea flinched on seeing the symbol and she turned to her brother who nodded solemnly at her.

"Do you require my help, captain?" Zoro asked as calmly as he could which was rather difficult with the annoyance surging through him.

"Nah. Andrea going with me will be enough." Zoro nodded as he realized Luffy's sudden serious behavior and formality with his sister was telling much about how angry he was.

"Luffy! We don't have that much time before dawn though!" Nami attempted to protest just to be silenced by the marine's stern look.

"Sister, we can go along the beach to make it back to that town correct?" The crew stared at the eloquent manner in which Luffy spoke that they were stupefied into silence.

"And if you jump up just right, I might have a little 'short-cut' we can take, brother dearest." Andrea smirked darkly as she flexed her palm in anticipation.

Cricket stood up to protest the two siblings going. "Don't worry about what just happened. Let's just get rea…" Zoro stopped him by holding out a sword to block him.

"If you wish to stop my captain and his stubborn sister, you'll have to fight him. Are you prepared for that?" the swordsman intoned darkly as he addressed the diver.

"We'll be back before dawn," Luffy assured the crew. Zoro and Nami nodded before ordering around the crew to prepare for their trip and help Cricket and his friends simultaneously.


	64. Unforgivable

This chapter feels pretty nice yet long at the same time. I got really into writing today :D

Yay! A new favorite :)

A thanks to dark-driex-07, 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202 for your reviews!  
+dark-driex-07: Yeah not having Akainu in a chapter does make me a little sad D: But he'll work himself back in soon *hint hint nudge nudge* :D  
+18KmPerHour: Yeah Bellamy was a bit of a butthead early in but his recent character, albeit sight but still there, development did make me curious  
+OnePiecefan202: A very angry Luffy does take on his older siblings attitude via their formality or rather in my eyes, he would :p

Please enjoy everyone and let me know what you like! I love hearing comments :) There also is a nifty little poll on my profile that would be awesome if I get some votes on ^_^

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 64: Unforgivable **

The newspaper bird flapped happily towards the island of Jaya and upon seeing a hobo relief himself of the rum he had drank that night on the dock, deposited the sheaf of paper that was wanted posters. The hobo picked up the papers with interest. "I doubt this will be anything new… I've seen all the bad guys here." Shuffling through the paper, the hobo saw with interest those two male pirates from the tavern earlier. "Oh I recognize these two. They were talking about that sky island earlier. I think Bellamy was saying he was worth around thirty million but what is…" the hobo froze and despite emptying his bladder earlier, he felt even emptier now. "I must have drank too much… how can that kid be worth so much money?! A hundred twenty-five million Beri…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy had stretched himself like a slingshot and with his sister piggyback riding, he had flung himself quite the distance but to his surprise, he felt himself go even further when his sister placed her hand behind them and release some power. They had shot themselves around halfway the distance before dashing into a quick run towards the town. "Andrea! We can't let that bastard do this anymore."

Nodding before following her faster brother, she trailed him slightly due to his superior speed. "I have no intentions of that, brother dearest. I think I'm starting to understand why marines are like how we are."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Bellamy was having quite the party at the tavern. Sipping at his wine, he mused, "Those two monkey's faces and whimpering about that Cricket was hilarious."

"They seem to care so much but they didn't do it good enough," Sarkies remarked offhandedly as he sipped his own mug of beer.

The crew around them felt all too compelled to inflate their captain and first mate's egos. "Between you two, how could they have had a chance?"

"Our captain is a pirate worth fifty-five million!"

Bellamy preened happily at his crew's compliments until a bum dashed into the tavern. "Big news everyone!" Upon seeing Bellamy, the hobo lit up with relief. "Oh good, you're still here. You're in great danger!"

Bellamy snorted into his wine as he surveyed the drunk, smelly, filthy looking man addressing him. "What? It's not like anyone can kill me here." It did not take long for the news the hobo brought to the bar to spread and silence reigned.

"Both of those men's bounties were higher than yours!" the hobo pointed out which only made the slightly unhinged blond even more crazed. Seeing his crew start to whimper in fear however made Bellamy burst out in laughter.

"How is it a mere piece of paper makes you all feel such fear? Did you all not see that scrawny dreamer here earlier? Those bounty papers are likely fakes to try to enhance his pathetic reputation. I am not a man intimidated by mere numbers and ink on paper." After reassuring his crew of the Straw Hat's weakness, they relaxed and actually became frustrated at how earlier they felt fear until they heard an enraged voice call out from outside.

"Bellamy! Are you in there?" The outburst caused the crew to panic outright and sputter around in fear. Bellamy merely smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"He thinks he can call for me and that I'll just jump for him?" the blond chortled just for a moment later, for the door to be exploded open. The female marine that was captured by the Straw Hats walked in and surveyed the tavern in disgust.

"Bellamy, I believe your attention was demanded outside." The woman's cold voice brokered no argument but despite her tone, a couple voices chuckled. Her icy glare turned and saw the first mate, Sarkies, shaking his head at her.

"Marines think they can talk some shit. Amusing," the man mused while sipping his beer. Walking away from Bellamy, Andrea approached the smug man who had the audacity to drink so casually in front of her. Leaning on her left leg, she effortlessly kicked the beer glass that was next to his face, easily into his face causing the glass to shatter and mar his face.

"I believe that I said something that requires addressed." Bellamy shrugged his shoulders and went outside in interest. The minute he exited, Andrea had a cold smirk as she surveyed the crew. "Oh I recall too well the events of earlier. Do you all?" She slowly sauntered around the tavern, taking great care to rub the blood from Sarkies' face off her boots on the rug. "As you all know, your captain and even pond scum like you insulted my brother. You don't even deserve…" she had walked back to Sarkies and grabbed his throat, "to breathe the same air as him."

The woman who hung over Sarkies, Lily, attempted to pounce on Andrea just for the marine to snort at the attempt. She kicked a table towards the weak pirate who stumbled over it. The pirate shrieked angrily, "Why should you give a shit how we treat a weak pirate crew?"

Andrea smirked darkly as she saw how fearful the crew had become as she flung the first mate to his overprotective harpy of a woman. "Oh I know too well the relationship between marines and pirates but I must say…" she strode over to Lily who groaned in pain as her side was kicked rather harshly, "You all frankly suck." Outrage broke out immediately but Andrea's hand reached for the hilt on her hip. "I'm certain the admirals won't care if I have a little fun right now."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Bellamy stood outside the tavern as he barely glimpsed the figure on a tower above him. The blond looked up with interest, "Ah, we were just talking about you. What do you have to say to me?"

"Give Cricket's gold back to him!" Luffy demanded angrily just to be scoffed at by his fellow paramecia.

"That old man's treasure…" Bellamy's legs turned to springs as he allowed his devil fruit power to manifest as he sprang up to where Luffy was. "Why? I'm a pirate and that is my loot. Just because you kidnapped and hauled a marine along with you doesn't give you the right to dictate my behavior. As a pirate anyway, you have no right."

"I have plenty of right," Luffy informed as he squared his shoulders. "As they are my friends, I will bring their gold back to them." Bellamy's crew, who normally would hoot and holler, was silent and the blond looked down to see none of them had even come out after him. He supposed that marine was taking out some stress on him but he was not concerned. As far as he was concerned, he would deliver righteous punishment to her in his own way.

"Well, if you'll stand here for me to hit you like yesterday, that'll just prove what a worthless dreamer you are!" proclaimed Bellamy who snickered at the blank expression on the Straw Hat captain.

"That was yesterday and different," Luffy commented offhandedly as he saw out of the corner of his eye, his sister strode out of the tavern with a Den Den Mushi in hand and a fierce expression in her eyes. She looked up and nodded at her brother as she spoke into the snail so quietly that Luffy could not hear it over Bellamy's voice.

"I fail to see what is different other than your sister stepping in aggressively." He sprang backwards using his powers. The force of his springy legs caused the roof they had been standing on to become unstable as he bounced off another tall building's wall. He lunged at the dark haired pirate who dodged and allowed himself to fall downwards to the ground. "How did he survive that?" Bellamy wondered as he bounced off another building.

Luffy stood up and looked rather bored. He rolled his shoulder before calling for his sister, "Sister dearest, check for some food there. I don't want this trip to be a _complete _waste."

Andrea paused with whatever she was stating into the snail just to smirk with amusement at her brother. "Of course. Just let me tell Sakazuki-kun good night."

Bellamy looked annoyed at the marine's blatant disregard for his crew but Luffy's indifference to his power was frustrating. Deciding to pick at him, he started with a jab. "How can you be friends with an old man and two idiot monkeys? They are the biggest morons of all for believing the bullshit of that old man's ancestor." He started bouncing around the buildings surrounding Luffy who did not flinch. "This is not the time to dream idly. Shit like you are disgraces to what pirates are."

Luffy clenched his fist before looking at the bouncing paramecia. "You underestimated the wrong person."

"Farewell foolish pirate!" Bellamy screamed as he hurtled himself towards Luffy. Calmly, he slammed his fist into the blond's face effectively silencing him. The momentum from the punch combined with how fast Bellamy had been rushing sent him backwards but before he could get out of reach, Luffy reached out and gripped the blond strands of hair within his hands. Tightening his grip on the hair, he slammed his other fist to the cocky pirate's face before flinging him to the ground like garbage.

"Bellamy!" shrieked the first mate who had stumbled out of the bar followed by Andrea who looked like a cat that had its cream. He stumbled in front of Luffy when he saw his captain practically stamped into the ground. "Stop acting like a moron Bellamy and get up! You're the super rookie!"

Luffy rolled his eyes as he walked over to the pirate whose eyes widened with fear. "Now give me back that gold you took." Sarkies tried to back up but backed into Andrea's boot and he looked up to the grim, fierce expression the marine wore.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So… why didn't you go?" Nami inquired as she watched Zoro lug around wooden boards that were to be used to reinforce the ship.

"You don't even know what you want!" scowled the green haired swordsman. "Telling us to not fight, then to fight then asking why I'm not fighting!" Before Nami could input more about the situation, Zoro rolled his eyes as he clarified. "It's not like they beat us up anyway. A fight that makes you feel bad about how worthless or horribly easy it is… that's not a fight I'd want anyway."

"You're logic is stupid," Nami growled as she pointed back towards the town. "Isn't a fight just a fight?"

"An annoying witch like you wouldn't know about honor!" retaliated the swordsman just to have a foot head near him.

"Don't talk to Nami-swaaaaaaan like that!" howled the chef as he started to fight with his rival but Cricket smacked both of them in annoyance.

"Get those boards to your ship already!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy hoisted the sack full of gold idols carefully onto his back while he made sure his sister's bag, full of meat and food, was safe. They started to walk out of the town when a bruised and battered Sarkies caught up to them. "Where do you think you're going, Straw Hat?"

Luffy looked at the man blankly as if assessing how stupid the man in front of him was. "The sky of course," he replied as he pointed upwards.

* * *

-The next morning-

* * *

Ace groaned as he rolled over and realized what ship he was on. Striding towards the outlandishly dressed man who he assumed was captain and the svelte woman with a foul expression, he overheard them chat about his little brother. "Oh if you need information on how to meet Luffy, I could help."

Buggy smirked as he turned around to see the owner of the voice and noticed the unfamiliar man. "Who the hell are you?!" he hollered in shock.

"A strong scent attracted me," Ace admitted as he eyed the plates of meat that Buggy had set out for his crew. "Anyway my name is Ace."

"He's the fire fist who's the commander of Whitebeard's 2nd Division!" Buggy's first mate told with horror and fear ingrained within every decibel of his voice.

"Oh, you know…" Ace fell asleep with half a drumstick shoved within his mouth.

Buggy overheard his crew debate about how taking down the flame logia could bring honor and glory to the crew but Buggy dashed their hopes. "Whitebeard is the strongest pirate in the world and he's the type of man who would unleash hell against those who hurt his friends."

Alvida looked with wonder at the clownishly dressed pirate captain she consorted with. "You said as if you know much about him."

"I… got to meet him in a way," Buggy admitted with a stern face which fell when Ace woke up with bits of meat stuck onto his face.

"Oh you really do know the old man personally then?" he chirped happily after wiping his face clean. Buggy felt his bowels loosen slightly as the raven haired pirate sauntered up to him happily. "Oh I guess I interrupted quite the party…" he looked around at the food around him hopefully. "No reason why it should stop now!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu smirked pleased with the news. Hearing from Andrea directly about what occurred at that puny town in the island of Jaya as well as her actions did please the marine. He would not have to work much harder to get the daughter of the former king of the pirates to realize what scum pirates had become. Of course he did feel his heart lift slightly hearing her pleased tone when she was able to contact him but he never put all his eggs in one basket. "I'll see you again soon but I'll be stronger!" those words she told him upon him answering the Den Den Mushi made him feel at ease.

He looked at the report in his hands however. He hated when the Shichibukai were summoned but the possibly disturbing news about the red haired pirate, Shanks and Whitebeard possibly having an alliance yet alone a discussion were quite startling. The filthy pirates who lacked the pride to stay independent and sold themselves to the government for protection was no better than the excrement from a sea king in his opinion. "I'm actually glad you aren't here or in the marine's care during this mission," the admiral mused as he thought of Andrea. He always felt suspicious of Kuma who always bent over backwards for the government and there a high chance of that blond paramecia who was rather creepy being there. Both of those men were not good for a marine with Andrea's background to meet yet alone associate with.


	65. Politics

First off, as I was reminded by 18KmPerHour, as of the day I was writing this chapter aka August 16th, happy birthday Akainu! He gets a present at the end of the chapter... I was going to do an omake but threw it into the story

A thanks to dark-driex-07, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202 for your reviews :D  
+dark-driex-07: I'm not really a fan of Skypiea either to be honest but as she's about to be dragged up there X_X  
+18KmPerHour: Thanks for reminding me about Sakazuki's bday :) and I do appreicate your reviews! Even if you leave them in wrong chapters :p  
+OnePiecefan202: I don't want to reveal too much of what is happening next, but... who do the Straw Hats run into after Skypiea? ;) That encounter changes a lot of things in the story. But she will have some involvement with the Sabody Archipelago!

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter and don't forget to vote on my poll!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 65: Politics**

The lanky blond dressed in a pink feathered coat grinned with great amusement. It was all too easy to use his powers to cause a little havoc as it was highly unlikely for Kuma to step in and end his fun. "Stop that!" barked a deep voice entering the meeting room. Doflamingo pouted before looking up into the face of the fleet admiral, Sengoku. "We're not here to fight a battle with each other." The monarch rolled his eyes before eyeing the goat that came with the marine. "You are not going to eat the goat," scoffed the marine at the Shichibukai's pouting. "Anyways, I apologize for being late to this meeting and I welcome you all…" he took a look at Doflamingo in particular, "garbage."

"You're in a bad moo! So impolite," Doflamingo dramatically sighed as the fleet admiral snorted at his attitude.

"Yet you called us here for a mission?" Kuma interrupted before his fellow Shichibukai got them into trouble.

The fleet admiral nodded before pulling out some hay for his pet goat to eat. "I'd like to begin immediately. The fact that two out of the six remaining Shichibukai is a surprise enough that we shouldn't waste anymore time."

"I wasn't going to come here at first," admitted the tall, blond pirate. "Yet the business with liberating islands was going along too smoothly so I was bored."

Sengoku leveled a deep glare at the Shichibukai. "That could present a problem. The liberation of the islands can be troublesome."

Doflamingo chortled at the serious marine. "You're words are a bit harsh. It goes against your moniker."

"This sounds boring. Did I come to the wrong place?" a mysterious, somewhat sleepy voice interrupted the conversation. Sengoku looked up in shock to see the strongest swordsman waltz into the room with boredom. "The Shichibukai and Marineford feuding makes this proverbial round table useless, no?"

"You coming here was unexpected," chuckled the blond Shichibukai with pleasant surprise.

"I'm only a bystander in this business," Mihawk admonished his fellow pirate. "The topic… is of interest to me however."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Marco looked at boredom at the pirate before him. He handed a letter to Whitebeard with a grin. The old man looked at the letter before leveling an intense gaze at the pirate before him. "Shanks… that brings back memories." He held the letter up before asking, "I assume this is from him?"

"Yes sir. It's really important which is why I'm delivering it," the red haired man boasted proudly.

"Must be a difficult task," Whitebeard mused with boredom.

The confident man before him only puffed out his chest with more pride. "I'm just a rookie but as a lone pirate, I was quite the name. He turned to Marco who had almost fallen asleep. "Have you heard of Rockstar?"

"Nope. Never heard of it," the zoan answered with boredom.

Whitebeard chuckled as he ripped up the letter in his hands to Rockstar's dismay. "To think he sent someone deliver a message rather than see me himself? That kid thinks he's too good to see me?!" he roared proudly.

"Wait please," Rockstar fell to his knees as he begged. "My boss Shanks, said this was really important. He's Red Hair Shanks! You can't be serious!"

Whitebeard laughed as he downed a mug of ale. "What do I care if he's Red Hair Shanks? I'm Whitebeard." He waved off a nurse's protest at him drinking as he looked at the pirate in front of him expectantly.

"But the boss said something important was written there!" Rockstar protested just to be faced with a laugh from the older pirate.

"I suppose this is about my son, Ace and the matter of Blackbeard. Tell that red haired kid, if he really wants a talk with me he needs to come himself and to bring some good rum!" Whitebeard took a deep breath and sent all the provocatively dressed nurses around him as they assessed the old pirate's vitals. "If you understand me, go back to him. I don't want to talk to a kid lower on the totem pole."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Shanks chuckled as the news was relayed to him. "I suppose I should have expected this."

"Boss! Let me redeem myself! I just need a little time," Rockstar's voice whined from the Den Den Mushi in the red haired captain's hand.

"Oi! What did you expect to do? You did well enough so just come back," Shanks ordered merrily but his pirate kept whining.

"But my pride…" he sniffled indignantly.

"I think we'd all rather you have your life than your pride. This is beyond what you can help with and you already did well enough," Shanks comforted his crewmate before hanging up on the snail. He looked at his crew with a wry smirk. "Let's prepare the ship!"

"Do you think the World Government is going to continue with how quiet they are?" another crewmate asked but the captain merely shrugged it off with a smile.

"Now's not the time to wonder that. They won't keep their silence and if they wish to stop me, neither will I!" His crew cheered rowdily while Shanks pointed to a couple of pirates. "Fetch our best rum!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sengoku looked skeptically at the pirate before him who burst into their meeting. "I have actually heard of your captain from one of my agents and he will not be allowed admittance into the Shichibukai."

The skinny man twirling his cane glared at the fleet admiral. "May I ask why?" he demanded angrily.

"He's a relatively unknown pirate that if not for one of my agent's reports, I would have heard nothing about him. His name won't frighten or aid the World Government's goals in anyway." Sengoku lectured with annoyance just to have the scrawny man flail in protest.

"What does your agent know that is so vital? We have quite the plan that could work out in your advantage." Doflamingo looked at the cane twirler with interest.

"What stops us from taking this alternative?" the Shichibukai inquired with curiosity as he was leaning back in his chair. "This could be interesting."

"Having a child of the infamous Gold Roger on our side is much more valuable than some low life pirate who thinks he has a shot at the seat of a Shichibukai." *CLANK* as Doflamingo leaned too far back in his chair and looked at the fleet admiral with scarcely disguised interest. Kuma closed his book and even Mihawk raised a perfectly geometrically trimmed eyebrow with rare interest.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Interesting," a dark haired figure mused as he held the bounty poster of Straw Hat Luffy. "From the aura I felt from him, he didn't strike me as having such a high bounty." He was bumped into by an angry, beat up blue haired man who snapped at him.

"Don't stand in the middle of the damn road! I'm really pissed off now!" Sarkies barked angrily just to be slammed into a barrel by the same dark haired man he bumped into.

"Shut you're noisy face!" he growled as he turned to his crew with amusement. "Let's avoid a small fry like him and try to find someone worth a little higher. He may have a bounty higher than a hundred million Beri but I actually want a challenge from this."

"Captain Blackbeard, sir!" a lanky man with a really long rifle stood next to him. "We're supposed to regroup over there." Blackbeard laughed as his crew's doctor hobbled alongside them with a sickly horse.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Where the hell are they?!" Nami scowled angrily as she searched the horizon. "I thought that dumbass's sister going with him would speed things up! He's almost an hour late and at this rate, we'll miss the Knockup Stream to the island which _he_ wanted to go to in the first place!"

"The weight of the gold might be slowing them down," Cricket suggested in order to attempt to placate the fiery navigator.

"Nah. His brain is too stupid to calculate time most likely," Nami deduced to have Usopp and Sanji give each other an odd look.

"I don't think he ever thought of calculating time in the first place," Usopp muttered to have the blond chef agree with him.

"Ok so if that's Luffy's excuse, what would Andrea's be?" Zoro pointed out in annoyance at the crew's attitude.

"She might have tried to escape," Robin mused just for Nami to shake her head.

"I doubt Luffy would let her get away and she admitted that she can't beat him."

"What if…" Chopper began to shake uncontrollably as he wailed, "they got beat up?!"

"Then I don't' want to see either of them!" roared Nami as Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Hey everybody!" the crew turned around to see Luffy riding on a giant beetle chasing his sister who was running with tears coming out of her eyes. "I'm making Andy run real fast!"

"Luffy! You idiot!" roared Sanji in a chivalric rage as he charged his captain. "Don't play on your sister's fears, stupid!"

Andrea finally tripped and fell into the sand as she looked at the bug angrily. "I fell asleep and when I came to a moment later, he held it over me!"

Sensing an argument coming, Robin intercepted it. "Maybe you two should see our vessel?"

Picking up his sniffling sister after apologizing, Luffy ambled over to the Going Merry. "Wow!" he eyed the ship's massive, new wings. "It looks like a turkey!"

Usopp sweatdropped before admitting, "I thought so too…"

"I want a drumstick," both Andrea and Luffy admitted hungrily as they eyed the sack of meat they took from the town.

"This ship makes me feel uneasy," groaned Nami as she wondered how they would navigate such an awkward addition that the wings were.

"Luffy is right," Zoro admitted as he tilted his head to look at the ship. "I thought it more closely resembled a pigeon or a chicken earlier but a turkey definitely is more accurate."

"That's not what worries me, you idiot!" Nami roared at the first mate just to have him raise a green brow in return.

As Andrea handed the remains of the meat sack to Sanji who took it happily into his kitchen, she saw her brother approach Cricket. The blond crushed another cigarette in an ashtray that had a pyramid of them already piled up as he looked at the lanky pirate in front of him. "Hurry and get on your ship or you'll lose your chance to go to Skypiea."

"Thank you for the ship!" Luffy grinned happily just to have the diver scoff.

"You should be thanking them," he pointed to his friends who were perched happily in their ships.

"Oh thanks guys! You are awesome! Keep my bug, Hercules as a pet!" Luffy pointed at the giant beetle happily just to have the two monkeys beam at him.

"You're a great guy!" they proclaimed before waving Luffy over to his ship. "Anyway, we need to go now or we'll miss it."

Cricket smiled as he saw the lanky captain bound over to his ship quickly and his sister wave back politely at him. "Give it your all for these pirates!" he ordered his friends who happily smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He walked over to the Straw Hat's vessel and looked up at Luffy. "Now kid, we may part here but there is one thing that is certain. While no one could prove the golden city or Skypiea exist, no one proved they couldn't exist either. There are people who laugh at us but that is what makes this dream romantic!"

"Romantic?" Luffy inquired just to have his sister smile and smack him slightly on the head.

Cricket grinned before nodding at the enthusiastic pirate. "Thanks for the gold, you two." The siblings gave a wide grin before he waved them off. "So don't crash!" The crew cheered happily as they wished the old diver well.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"We need to intercept that crew before they actually get to that sky island!" Blackbeard barked as he relaxed on his ship. "With the way that runt was going on about it, he's pretty determined. That marine however… she looks familiar."

"Well you always had an eye for the ladies, boss." The crew had a good chuckle but the captain shook his head as if trying to clear it.

"No… she looks like someone really familiar. I don't know why but it feels significant."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nami listened with rapt attention as the two brothers were explaining the Knockup Stream as Luffy, who should have been paying attention, amused himself by attempting to forcibly rotate the south bird. "Andy! Look!" he rotated the bird's neck who glared at him momentarily before rotating back to the south.

"Luffy, you better not break the damn bird," the marine sighed as she watched her brother amuse himself with the bird. _I wonder if Sakazuki got the present I sent him from Alabasta yet_.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu stared at the box that had his name on it critically before opening it and seeing a card penned to him with a familiar handwriting. "I have a feeling you'll be needing this. Take care of yourself. Gol D. Andrea."

Scrunching his eyebrow, he pulled out a fresh, bushy bonsai he knew was native to Alabasta.


	66. From the Water

I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter!

A thanks to dark-driex-07, 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202, and jasje20 for your reviews!  
+dark-driex-07: Who knows? Maybe he'll be a little more careful with it considering who it's from xD And while I don't want to spoil too much, Andrea won't be interfering directly with the CP9 but... it will be interesting I promise  
+18KmPerHour: I do like Mihawk too quite a bit! Also... I can't find the damn name of the goat -.-  
+OnePiecefan202: Yeah... it slipped my mind too T_T  
+jasje20: Thanks for your favorite/follow but just as a head's up, I'm a Mrs. not a sir :p I'm used to it though so don't worry xD

Please enjoy the story and don't forget to vote in the poll!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 66: From the Water**

"You all should relax!" Luffy proclaimed seeing the strained and stressed faces of his crew. "Look at Andy! She's all calm now and that was with a bug following her earlier."

"It wasn't following me you twit. You made it chase me," Andrea grumbled as she looked at the sea ahead of them.

"How can you say that?" scowled Sanji as he tried to placate the marine with a soothing fruit drink. "You're the main reason there was a delay in the first place."

"Nooooo. Andy fell asleep so I made her move!" Andrea sighed as she looked at her brother's relaxed grin.

"You could have just picked me up…" she facepalmed as Luffy's face blanked with the obvious realization that he should have done that. However it did not take long for the monkeys to freak out.

"So that's the cloud…" Nami mused contemplatively as she stared at the thick, black cloud that they were approaching. The waves caused by their vicinity to the imminent Knock-up Stream rocked the ship violently.

"These waves mean the ship is going to explode!" one of the monkey's crewmates shouted but their voice was barely audible over the roaring of the ocean.

"Navigator-san!" Robin called out over the rocking of the Going Merry. Nami looked at her inquisitively before the raven answered, "What does the log pose say?"

Nami glanced down at her wrist and gaped in open shock. "It's pointing at that cloud!"

"We're going to the sky!" Luffy shrieked with absolute excitement as he stared at the whirlpool happily.

"You never said we had to get sucked into a whirlpool!" Nami screamed as the boat swirled towards the middle of the storm.

Chopper's eyes were alight with wonder of how he thought they would arrive to the sky island while Nami held on for dear life to the ship. Robin used her powers to grip herself to the boat by sprouting hands but she noticed all Andrea did was stand still on the deck as the water swirled around her. The subtle dripping of blood from her right palm did not escape the archeologist's sharp eyes. Sanji saw the worried expression on the women's faces and his heart went out to them. "I shall protect you lovely ladies with my life!"

"I've never seen such a large whirlpool in my life," murmured Robin as she watched the waters violently toss their ship closer to their destination.

"I want to go home!" wailed Usopp in fear as he held onto an unmoving, unsympathetic Zoro who looked at his captain skeptically.

"Too late. He's already hyper," the swordsman motioned to their captain who was bouncing around happily on the ship. His eyes also caught the bleeding from Andrea's palm but he opted to not say anything lest he spoil Luffy's mood.

"Here we go up to the sky!"

Just as Luffy shouted those words to the heavens, a massive sea king lashed out of the water and attempted to attack the ship but the powerful pull of the whirlpool merely yanked the monster down under to the mercy of the currents. Andrea wrapped her palm in a bandage with relief and chuckled seeing the pirate crew's faces. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper froze up in fear and stared blankly where the sea king used to be while Luffy looked back to the ship that had the monkeys. Both crews waved happily towards the Straw Hats. "Do your best with your all your strength!"

Luffy waved back happily, "Thanks for escorting us here!"

Usopp tried to stand on the railings of the ship as he attempted to get their attention. "Let us go back with you! I'm so scared! Rescue us from our asshole captain! We're doing to die at this rate!"

Chopper was running around frantically and his hoots merged with Nami's cries of fear to ensure quite the terrifying melody. "Why is it you liars never mention the whirlpool?!"

"Interesting! It's already 'night'," Andrea noticed with interest as she looked at the sky around them.

"We're heading towards the whirlpool!" Luffy shouted happily as the ship zoomed closer and closer to the center.

"You're awfully excited even though you're a devil fruit user," the marine giggled at her brother's enthusiasm which was not tapered in the slightest by the fears of his crew.

"Luffy…" Usopp shakily muttered as he saw the fanatical look in his captain's eyes. "Let's just go! It's not too late to escape this stupid whirlpool!" Luffy did not even spare the sniper a glance as he just gazed upwards. "This is just a fantasy of a fantasy!"

"Yeah… fantasy of a fantasy… that sounds like a perfect way to describe it!" Zoro and Andrea snorted with laughter as Nami's eyes widened.

"Luffy… this likely is just a big, false rumor," the navigator stuttered but Luffy's wide grin dashed any hope she had of escaping.

A light could be seen from the wide grin and the crew had to shield their eyes from how bright it was. "A fantasy of a fantasy means this is a grand adventure. What kind of pirates would we be if we missed out on this? I won't let us regret this for a moment!"

Andrea smirked as she saw Chopper's fear dissolve into immediate happiness and ease while Usopp and Nami resumed their fearful gazes. "Hey you scared idiots," Zoro called over to the duo who glared back at him. "While you were busy doing fruitless complaints, the whirlpool is about to swallow us."

Nami almost fainted when Sanji pulled her to his body. "Here Nami-swaaaaaan, lay in my arms for they will always protect you."

Immediately, the ship flew out of the water above the center of the whirlpool and immediately, the whirlpool stilled. Nami's brow scrunched as she looked around in confusion. "It can't have disappeared…" she looked over the railings and saw the water below them bubble ominously. "It just went away but it's not gone… just under us…"

"Where do you think you're going, Straw Hats?" a burly voice shouted to the crew. Luffy raised an eyebrow in confusion and nodded at Zoro. "I finally caught up to you!"

"Who's that?" Sanji asked with his nose wrinkling in distaste at the man's personal hygiene, disgusting clothing and overall atrocious appearance.

"We met that guy while in the town," Nami informed him as she looked at the water warily.

"We're here to claim your bounty! Surrender to us now!" Blackbeard shouted as he inspected the crew with an assessing grin.

Sanji pouted as she scuffed his shoe along the deck. "Why can't I have a bounty?"

"Prepare to die!" Blackbeard shouted as he had not noticed the swirling waters and dangerous atmosphere. Andrea sat on the railing facing the ship, reclining back as she tilted her head back. Blackbeard's eyes widened as he realized why she looked familiar. "You're related to _him_!"

"And if he doesn't kill you, I will!" the marine promised darkly as the water bubbled powerfully under the Going Merry. Nami's shouts to the crew to brace themselves felt faint when compared to the intense anger and rage that surged through her body. Acting as if her hand was a gun, she playfully cocked back her finger and aimed at the ship. "Bang…" at that very instant, the Knock-up Stream shot up destroying the Blackbeard crew's vessel and shooting the Going Merry straight up into the sky.

"You have a history with that man?" Robin asked as she held herself to the ship carefully as the ship was riding the current upwards, parallel to the vertical ascent of the current.

"My twin rather has a beef with him," Andrea calmly informed as she eyed the archeologist with barely concealed distaste.

Robin's response was drowned out by Luffy's enthusiastic joy. "How are we able to do this?! Just getting there is an adventure!"

Sanji was riding the adrenaline somewhat until he realized something critical. "The ship is starting to lose upwards momentum."

"We're going to get bounced off then!" Nami shrieked in fear as the sea king that was sucked into the water earlier just flew downwards past them.

"But what can we do, Nami?" Usopp freaked out as he held on tightly to his beloved ship.

Luffy grinned as he swung his arm confidently and nodded at his sister who sighed as she unwrapped the bandages around her right palm. "Dammit, I barely wrapped it too."

"We obviously need to use our own strength, Nami!" The navigator just glared at her captain who grinned happily as he was whipping his arm around.

"So many things are falling from the Knock-up Stream's victims!" Usopp wailed as debris from other ships flew quickly by. "If we fall at this height, we'll be smashed to bits!"

Nami bit her lip as she shouted to the crew, "Set the sail down quickly!" Robin lifted an elegant eyebrow before the navigator explained, "This is an upwards sea current and we need to ride it properly!" She smirked at Luffy who was happy with his navigator's abilities. "After all if we're using our strengths and the opponent is the sea, who do you have as your navigator?"

Chopper stared at the water with fear. "We've lost contact with the water!"

Nami beamed with pride. "It's ok now. Look at what's happening now, Chopper."

"Oh my gosh, we're flying!" Luffy squealed in glee as the ship flew serenely parallel to the current.

"Nami-swaaaaan! You're so cool!" the chef gushed just to have Nami blush with pride.

"So Nami, will we be there soon?" Luffy inquired to have his navigator nod confidently at him.

"If it exists beyond this cloud, we'll be there soon." The rubber man enthusiastically nudged his sister who had been staring at her palm which thankfully stopped throbbing.

"Sis, aren't you glad you came on this adventure?" The marine gave a soft smile as she looked upwards.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu stuck his new bonsai next to his other one and stared at them. _There needs to be harmony between them… So different._ Clippers were in his hands as he hovered over the new one that was given to him before he froze. _But… if it looks mutilated, she'll be angry._ He put down the clippers and tried to rearrange them on his ship's desk to make the bonsai stub not as prominent but all that happened is that he stared at them even more.

"Sir!" the navigator walked in and looked at the puzzled admiral who was rearranging his plants. "Um… I'll just come back later."

He raised a thin eyebrow before looking at the new bonsai and realizing he had crushed one of the lower branches on accident. "Shit!"


	67. The Sky is Scary

Today sucked -.- My nephew got a really bad football injury and had to go to the hospital D:

I had also a general meh day other than that... Was doubting my writing ability for a bit then thought, screw it! I'm writing cause I love it and because you guys love it :D Plus, I hope I actually am improving as the series goes on :p  
Seeing another favorite/follow also perked up my day quite a bit ^_^

A thanks as always to 18KmPerHour, dark-driex-07, and OnePiecefan202  
+18KmPerHour: Yeah, I actually giggle outloud now anytime I see a bonsai o.o  
+dark-driek-07: Once they get into Skypiea, I am planning on Andy having a little trip ;) Can't reveal too much yet but I don't really plan to cover this arc's fights as in-depth as I did with Alabasta's as Andy will have a differing role  
+OnePiecefan202: Those poor bonsai will be a bit of a running gag :p

Please everyone enjoy this chapter and vote in the poll if you have not yet!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 67: The Sky is Scary**

The thin air of the higher altitude was having its effects on the passengers of the Going Merry. Luffy's rubbery skin was starting to get a blue hue as he strained with the efforts to breathe in the oxygen poor air. Nami collapsed onto the deck due to the pressure hitting her lungs being one of the greatest pains she had felt. Her coughs melded with Usopp and Sanji's in a cruel melody that sounded hollow in the air. Zoro's brow had sweat with the immense effort of not succumbing to weakness. "Is everyone alright?" he wheezed with great difficulty as he looked at the crew and the marine who were laid out on the deck in various stages of pain before him.

Robin nodded as sweat trickled from her forehead as she, like the swordsman, tried to avoid showing weakness. The very person she wanted to avoid showing such weakness to was the marine before her. Andrea was forcing herself up using the mast with great difficulty as her palm was pulsating with intense pain. Luffy stood up immediately, swaying slightly from vertigo as he looked over the ship's railings. "You guys! Look outside the ship!" he enthusiastically shouted to his crew.

Groaning with great difficulty, Usopp forced himself up thanks to help from Zoro and Andrea, to flop himself onto the edge of the boat to look around. The sniper's eye bulged as he took in the environment before him. "This place is so white!" he gasped out as he was still having difficulty breathing.

"They're clouds!" Chopper concluded as he looked around in shock at the fluffy clouds that the Going Merry was floating upon.

"How are we sailing on top of clouds?" Nami wondered as she looked around and seeing no ocean or water touching the ship at all and was therefore confused.

"I don't see why we can't sail on top of them? They are just clouds!" Luffy deduced just to be smacked by his sister for his over simplistic thinking.

"That's impossible!" Zoro, Sanji and Chopper muttered at the same time as they shot their captain skeptical looks.

Chopper's look was cut short when he noticed Usopp waver and collapse onto the deck. "He's not breathing! Someone call a doctor!"

"You're the doctor!" Zoro scowled at the little reindeer whose eyes widened.

Luffy nudged the sniper with his foot. "Can't ya just do CPR on him?"

Sanji's eye lit up with hope as he turned towards the navigator. "I volunteer myself to do CPR on Nami-swaaan!"

Before Zoro could admonish the cook for his perverted behavior, Nami spoke up. "I'm guessing this is the sea of the sky." She then held up her left wrist that hand the log pose. "Yet… the log pose is pointing up!"

"Maybe we're only in the middle?" Robin suggested as her eyes did not spot some sort of sky land for the Going Merry to dock on.

"How would we go higher?" Chopper pondered as he sat onto Usopp's chest.

Nami shrugged as Zoro and Sanji started to argue. Andrea rolled her eyes when the sniper leapt up and proclaimed his immediate need to swim. "That seems relatively foolish as we just came up here. Are you still in the need to go down?"

Sanji hovered around Andrea as he was in full agreement with her and wanted to demonstrate his support. "We don't know anything about this sea, idiot…"

Of course compelled by the negativity, Usopp jumped.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Blackbeard stood on his boat or rather the remains of his boat with great amusement despite the rain, dark clouds or turbulent waters. His small crew however did not share in his humor. "What a lucky crew," remarked the sickly doctor who reached into his basket to take a bite of an unripe apple. "How are we going to get them?"

"They won't be up there forever," reasoned Blackbeard who was gulping down a bottle of grog with ease. "As long as they are in the Grand Line, we're bound to cross paths again. "That girl in particular… to have met Portgas D. Ace's twin and for her to be a marine! What a shock to the system." He nibbled a bit of cherry pie with amusement as a twisted smirk took over his face.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin tilted her head as she looked down. "Do we know if there is a sea floor?"

"That idiot!" Zoro roared as Luffy launched his arm down into the sky clouds.

"Reach as far as you can!" commanded Robin as she crossed her arms and focused.

"But I'm doing this blindly," Luffy sputtered in confusion just to have Andrea gave him a sideways glance.

"Don't underestimate Nico Robin's devil fruit abilities," Andrea scolded him as she watched the raven haired pirate close her eyes. Luffy felt his arm itch slightly as Robin's eyes sprouted along the length of his arm.

It did not take long for the paramecia to spot him and with a wry smirk, she sprouted arms and reached out to the falling sniper and grabbed a hold of him. "Pull him up," she told Luffy who obliged and yanked his nakama up quickly.

It took a great effort and at first, Andrea thought it was the altitude combined with pulling Usopp from what she assumed was a great height that tired out her brother. However, a giant octopus and toothed fish followed him up. Zoro sighed as he pulled his blades out and slashed the octopus which exploded as his blades touched it. Sanji kicked the unusually toothy fish and stared down at it. "Can this weird animal really be considered a fish?" the chef pondered as he nudged it with his foot.

"To think there are animals in the sky…" Chopper mused as he held a part of the sky octopus.

Usopp, who had been unceremoniously dumped onto the deck, started squirming suddenly before reaching into his pants. At first, the women on the ship raised their eyebrows skeptically until he pulled out a tiny toothy fish that decided to stowaway. Robin held the flat fish with great amusement as the sniper curled up into a ball and glared at the fish. "Since there is no floor to this sky ocean, I'm guessing the wildlife had to adapt to survive here."

"So that explains why some are flat or are like balloons I guess," Zoro pieced together as he was cleaning his blade of balloon octopus guts.

The familiar smell of cooking fish reached the crew's noses and Sanji waltzed out of his kitchen proudly. In his hands was a plate that Luffy was happily sampling the recently caught flat fish. "We weren't done with that yet!" roared Nami as Luffy and now his sister dug a fork into the sautéed fish. The marine's approving nod sent the chef into a frenzy which only got more pronounced when she handed the dish to Nami who upon sampling the dish, agreed. "This flavor really is different from any I've had!"

Luffy pointed at the burst remains of the octopus around them. "You need to figure out how to cook this, Sanji!" he demanded hungrily.

Chopper, who was keeping an eye out for more sky critters suddenly started to squeal in distress. The crew looked at the reindeer in confusion as he was sputtering nonsensical words and tears were gathering at his eyes. The word bull caught Andrea's ears however and she felt around slightly with Haki. "There's some human running along the cloud. He's wearing a bull mask," she informed the crew as her hand went automatically to her dagger.

"What's your problem?" Sanji scowled as the man dashed onto the Going Merry and merely stood there for a minute.

"Eliminate…" the figure intoned and just like that, the three most powerful Straw Hat pirates tensed up to get battle ready. Not waiting for a response, the figure struck out at them. The odd device he was riding on smacked Sanji in the face, halting the chef's efforts. Zoro's three blades were easily parried and the man counterattacked easily with a backhand. Even Luffy's usual curb stomping tendencies lead to his attack being dodged and him being smacked into the deck. Andrea charged with her blade and to the pirate's amazement, she avoided the first blow by parrying with her blade and dodged the counter attack which was in the form of a kick. Her right hand was glowing as she was about to launch her own counter attack but the odd figure pushed back against her blade, sending her backwards into Nami who complained loudly.

"What the hell you guys? The only one who didn't get their ass handed to them was Andrea but isn't she weaker than you guys?" The marine remained tense even as the unusual figure retreated.

"The sky is scary…" Usopp muttered constantly as he was still curled in the fetal position.

The figure stopped their retreat and the tube on their back, which turned out to be a bazooka, was reached for and in his hands as he turned back towards the ship. Before the attack could be launched, a flying figure flew towards the figure and a heavily armored man jumped off to attack the figure. "Not another attack!" wailed Nami as she witnessed the brief scuffle which resulted in the first mysterious figure quitting the field. The man jumped back on his winged mount, which was an unusual polka dotted bird, and flew towards the ship. "Who are you?" Nami asked in fear as the man smiled at them.

"I am a knight of the sky!" the old man stated proudly as he smiled at the incredulous looks that the crew and marine gave him.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Report on the events in Jaya," Akainu barked into the Den Den Mushi with annoyance.

"I'm getting there. Cool your jets," Aokiji lazily retorted back as he leaned into a chair. The tavern he was in was the very same one where Luffy and Andrea had caused quite a ruckus earlier. The bar tender that recognized Aokiji for who he was immediately was all too happy to spill any information as long as his establishment was left intact. The ice logia had no problems complying in the slightest regard. "Anyway, the Straw Hats are heading for a 'sky island' and that crew the fleet admiral told us to watch out for is here."

"Oh?" Akainu sipped the sake in his hand slowly. "Was there an encounter?"

"My sources said there was to some extent. Contact was made between Andrea and Blackbeard." He heard a crash and gave a wry smirk as he imagined how frustrated his fellow admiral must be. "We have not heard anything further and I am unable to contact her through her Den Den Mushi."

"There must be an explanation," Akainu roared as his sake cup cracked under his grip. "That wanna-be Shichibukai might have found out who she is!"

"And that would be a problem," Aokiji continued as he sipped at a cool drink. "She's a clever girl. I'll head to the next island and await them."

"She better be alive," the magma logia grumbled as he hung up the snail. He stared at the two bonsai on his desk before sighing. "If she's not, I don't know who will skin me alive first: the fleet admiral or her grandfather…"


	68. Hidden

A fun chapter ahead with Luffy letting things slip, a moment between two unlikely marines, and... a Pegasus?

Yet another favorite and follow :o :D!

A thanks as always to reviewers Artemis Decibal, dark-driex-07, 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202, and jaseje20  
+Artemis Decibal: I'm glad you like the story so far :)  
+dark-driex-07: In terms of marine powers, he still doesn't care about Garp but... who knows :o This chapter will highlight on a moment between them  
+18KmPerHour: When you mention Moriarty, I thought of Fall Out 3 which my husband plays almost constantly :o And I am pleased to be a part of your daily routine :p  
+OnePiecefan202: Thanks for the concern for my nephew. He'll be fine as long as he stays hydrated, stops bumping his head into the wall since he does that when he sleeps and as long as his cousins leave him alone xD  
+jasje20: Thanks for the review :D

I hope everyone enjoys and votes on my poll :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 68: Hidden**

"Who was that weirdo with the bull mask?" Nami scowled as she pointed where the mysterious attacker had been before they retreated. "What's going on here?" Her rage filled vision turned to Luffy, Zoro and Sanji who were laid out on the deck, breathing heavily while being checked by an anxious Chopper. "How was it you three were useless in that fight if you could even call it that?!"

The knight looked over the crew curiously when Chopper went up to him with his eyes sparkling. "Thank you for saving us!"

"This is merely a service. Think nothing of it," the wizened man modestly said as he gave a small smile to the tanuki.

"This is just frustrating," Sanji puffed in annoyance as even smoking the cigarette was taking effort.

"My body isn't moving how I want it to!" whined Luffy who rolled over and looked at his sister curiously. "Andy, how were you able to move so easily?"

"The scarce oxygen here should have made fighting difficult as it did for them. How is it, Marine-san, you were able to dodge those blows and attempt to retaliate?" Robin pointed out with a narrowed stare.

"It is impressive for one of the dwellers of the Blue Seas to display Mantra." Andrea tensed as she watched the old knight eye her critically. "And I guessed you were citizens of the Blue Seas by your relative lack of knowledge."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked as she was curious.

The knight gave a polite smile before motioning to himself. "I am a knight of the sky. Citizens below the sky are dwellers of the Blue Sea. So I am guessing you came from there."

"Yeah, we're from the land of water," Luffy muttered in confusion as his sister swatted him softly on the head.

"The elevation of this place is roughly seven thousand meters and is referred to as the White Sea. Further up at ten thousand meters is the White-White Sea where people like you will not be able to stand it." Luffy blinked curiously at the information before glancing to his sister.

"So… was Andy able to fight 'cause she's pretty much dying and is used to difficulty breathing?" Chopper's jaw dropped as the crew stared at Luffy who just realized what he said and covered his mouth in fear. The crew's expressions were a mix of shock, pity and worry which only served to disgust Andrea.

"Luffy, you idiot! That's private!" Chopper wailed as he pounded on Luffy's leg with his little hooves.

"Well…" the knight murmured as he watched the little reindeer flail and cry, Luffy look incredibly guilty, and the marine stomp away from her brother in anger to stand at the other side of the boat. The rest of the crew was silent and unsure how to say anything. "This just became awkward."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu stared at the files before him and the rather burly vice admiral standing in front of his desk. "Why did you feel the need to bring your granddaughter's medical records to me? If this involves her handlers, the other admirals would need to be informed."

"Don't play coy with me. It doesn't suit you," Garp snapped with narrowed eyes at the equally burly man before him. "Given her closeness to you, I felt it would be a _courtesy_ to let you know exactly what that entails."

Raising a thin eyebrow, the admiral flipped through the documents and a couple words caught his eye. His eyes zoned in on the vice admiral and he asked lowly, "Why has she not told me that she was supposed to die a long time ago?"

"She hadn't told anyone. Her brothers figured it out however." Garp's face was solemn as he reminisced on the past while fiddling with the bonsai that was given to Akainu by Andrea. "That's why she keeps pushing on. Everything she does is with all her effort and the last thing she wants is pity."

Garp swept out of the room, leaving Akainu with the files in hand. A contemplative look came on his face as he saw the photo inside the medical file. A young Andrea of a few years ago looked shyly at the camera and from the shifty look in her eyes, she had attempted to escape the check up. His eyes locked onto the signatures of the two marine officials who oversaw the procedure: Aokiji and Garp. _What does he know about this and why didn't he bring it up earlier?_

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Luffy, if you want to breathe easier you will listen to me." The rubber pirate's head snapped up to his grumpy sister who was eyeing him critically. Breathe deeply and concentrate on the air around you that you're taking in. Feel it circulate around your body."

Luffy blinked and took a deep breath but he took too deep a breath and inflated like a balloon. Rolling his eyes, Zoro tried out Andrea's instructions. Luffy let out some air and found to his relief, things did become easier. "Oh wow, it really was that easy?"

"Does feel a lot better," Zoro agreed as he got into a meditative position to help with his breathing.

"It's not that easy! You two must be faking," scoffed the sky knight who looked at the two pirates with a critical eye.

Chopper was still worried about if Andrea would get more agitated despite her present relaxed demeanor so he decided to steer the conversation away. Turning towards the knight, he summoned up the courage to ask, "How was it that guy attacking us was able to walk on the sea?"

The knight looked over them and remembered he was still in the presence of mere Blue Sea dwellers. "I suppose you all have a lot of questions but first… business." Nami raised an eyebrow at the mention of business. "I am a mercenary in this very dangerous part of the sea. Those unfamiliar with this area are prone to being attacked by guys like that one or the sky fish." He tossed a whistle to Nami who caught it and looked curiously at it. "If you blow that whistle, I will save you but each whistle costs fifty million Extol."

"What are you talking about?" Luffy questioned with a confused tilt of the head.

"Don't act like fools! The price already is very reasonable and if I lower those prices, I can't meet my living expenses," the knight scoffed just to be faced with more confused faces.

"Sky Island is scary…" Usopp murmured as he was still curled up in the fetal position.

"We don't know what extols or the whistle means," Sanji explained as he reached for a cigarette. Upon seeing Zoro and Luffy master the breathing exercises, he was pleased to do the same and was determined to be able to smoke.

"Think about it for a minute," Andrea snapped at the knight who looked at her worriedly. "We just came from below. How the hell would we know any of this?" The knight stared blankly before Andrea groaned and facepalmed. "So we took the most dangerous, unofficial way to get here didn't we?"

"You mean there are other ways to get here?!" howled Nami as she eyed the resigned expression on Andrea's face and the incredulous look on the knight's.

"You actually took that monstrous current to get here?! You people are so brave!" Instead of beaming at the knight's praise, Nami started to cry tears of pure rage.

"At least we're here now," Luffy tried to explain to the infuriated navigator who was throttling him back and forth.

"We could die!" a smack from her to Luffy later and she was still enraged. "If we waited and collected information, we could have used a safer method!"

"Actually…" Andrea stared at her nails in boredom now. Nami's rage made her feel rather calm and collected in the face of the danger that was the fiery navigator. "If we waited longer, chances the log pose would have reset. Also Blackbeard pursuing the crew would have ended badly. He did have the nerve to kill a crewmate in Whitebeard's crew so he'd have no qualms squashing us."

Nami's rage chilled quickly as fear took over. Usopp only shook more in the fetal position at the realization that being in Skypiea was likely the safest way. "Anyway…" the knight murmured as he saw the weaker members of the crew panic. "I'm assuming you lost a few crews on the way here."

"Crews? We didn't lose a single person! My pirate crew and sister are all we have!" Luffy proudly stated just to see the knight's eyes bulge as he saw how sparsely staffed the boat was.

"The route you take usually is dangerous to the point everyone perishes. To see such a brave and powerful crew is such a rarity…" Usopp sprung out of his whimpering fetal position to attempt to preen proudly but a smack from Nami subdued the liar. He motioned to the whistle that Nami was holding with a grand ceremony. "You get one whistle free as a gift. That will call me to save you." The knight turned around and faced the sky.

"But we don't know your name!" Nami hollered as she held the whistle close to her.

Turning around dramatically, the old man smiled at the crew. "I am Gan Fall, the sky knight! My partner," he motioned to the polka dotted bird next to him, "is named Pierre." He smiled as Pierre began to change. "My partner is a bird who ate a devil fruit which means he can become a winged horse!" He jumped on Pierre quickly and the entire crew saw was the shadow.

"A Pegasus! How majestic!" Nami cooed until she saw Pierre clearly then her face blanched. The bird still maintained the unusual coloring into the Pegasus form which made the crew stare at it in sheer disbelief.

"I wish you luck, heroes!" Gan Fall cried out as he flew away.

"He… didn't tell us anything useful," mused Robin as she observed his quickly vanishing form.

"We're back where we started…" Nami whined as sank onto the deck.

"Well, I don't know about you lot but that attacker from earlier intrigued me," Andrea murmured as she stood on the deck and walked towards the railings. She quickly climbed up and stared at the White Sea around them.

"What do you think you're doing, Marine-san?" Robin asked as she eyed the glowing palm she was clenching.

"Simple. I figure since normal sea kings are repelled by my palm…" Experimentally she held out her hand and concentrated. Sure enough, a giant toothy flatfish appeared before her and to the crew's surprise, Andrea jumped onto its back. "I'll see you lot later." The fish took a huge dive before soaring through the air.

"If Andy wasn't mad at me, she wouldn't have left!" whined Luffy as he grabbed the whistle out of Nami's hand.

"Oi! This only is for an emergency! Your sister will be fine!" she snapped as she resumed throttling her captain.

Robin eyed the distant sky fish with apprehension. _Why is she so determined if she's dying?_


	69. Not Sushi

Wheeeee! I'm hoping the next few chapters will be interesting for you all :)

A thanks to reviewers dark-driex-07, OnePiecefan202, 18KmPerHour, and jasje20  
+dark-driex-07: Yup, I was dropping some subtle hints about it and I'm glad you caught it  
+OnePiecefan202: Mhmm I was planning this and actually had researched a couple diseases to base her condition off of and in the next chapters, I'm hoping to explain a bit about it. Trying to think if in an author note, I should list the instances her condition is mentioned to be less than stellar.  
+18KmPerHour: Andy's a toughie :3 Like I mentioned above, I'll go into some of the particulars of her condition later  
+jasje20: Thanks for the review :)

Please enjoy the chapter everyone :D

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 69: Not Sushi**

Andrea reclined on the back of the flat fish she was hitching a ride on. It had been a couple hours of the fish drifting through the White Sea and it felt oddly relaxing. She flexed her right hand experimentally and looked curiously at her scar which had started to shimmer slightly with a glowing, white energy. The perilous and apparently unnecessary trip up the Knockup Stream was annoying and Luffy putting one of her greatest secrets out there was too, but now she just felt an odd sense of calamity and serenity up in the clouds. Even the flat fish was oddly mellow and content to follow the marine's directions with a minimal amount of prodding. Eventually she steered the complacent sky fish back towards where she had left her brother's crew. Recognizing the odd cloud waterfall thing, she looked around with a smile and was pleased to see that the Straw Hats had moved on without her. Relaxing her body, she felt around with Haki but before she could attempt to sense them, she noticed a familiar yet hostile presence head quickly her way. "Move, Sashimi!" she ordered the sky fish who tried to turn from the blur that quickly approached them.

"Halt!" the voice commanded and when Andrea did not oblige, continued to approach. She saw with interest it was the person who had attempted to attack them earlier. The bull masked man stood on the cloud in front of the sky fish but did not attack. "You're presence is different from theirs."

"My brother's crew?" Andrea asked curiously as she kept her left hand close to her dagger just in case while petting Sashimi with her right hand to calm it.

"You have mantra," he explained before he came close enough and grabbed her right hand, forcing her palm upwards. "And this."

"It's a scar," the marine tried to explain as she attempted to yank back her hand but the man's superior strength won out. When she stopped trying to struggle, he prodded the scar which started to glow more strongly.

"You're to come with me. Take the fish if you wish," he commanded and before looking to see if she what she was doing, she dashed on top of the clouds.

"I suppose I don't have much choice," Andrea admitted as she eased the fish to follow the odd man. He glanced back momentarily to ensure she was following. "Oi! Wait up!" she hollered as she tried to nudge the fish to go faster. It did not take too long for the fish to catch up with the odd man in the mask. She glanced at him curiously. "Why did you want me to follow you?"

"We've been awaiting you," the man vaguely intoned which only made the marine raise her eyebrow in curiosity.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy watched with great jealousy as Nami was riding on the waver. She glided effortlessly through the White White Sea which only made the rubber man grumpy. "How are you able to do that, Nami?" he groaned to the navigator when Sanji kicked him up the head.

"Let Nami-swaaaaaan have fun!" the chef snorted before calling out Nami's praises.

Noticing his crew walk up stairs even further upwards, he trotted up to catch up to them. "Sanji, you made me bite my tongue," he whined but his mind was not on the injured muscle at all. "I miss Andy!"

"She'll be fine," Zoro assured him as he followed his captain up the stairs.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea looked at the odd things that the man instructed her to place on her feet. After assuring her that she would not fall through the clouds, the marine slid daintily off of Sashimi and waved goodbye to her fishy friend. Although shaky at first, the marine slowly got the hang of it despite the fact that she definitely still felt scared to sink. "You are blessed with mantra. You will not fall," the man assured her simply.

"So easy for you to say," she grumbled as she paused to massage the back of her calves. "This must be good exercise I suppose."

"You are blessed. Do not concern yourself with such triviality." She rolled her eyes even more but continued to follow the man for what felt like ages but they came close to an unusual land mass. Andrea's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. "That… looks like normal land!"

"Silence," he commanded as he pointed in front of him. A slender figure was on an unusual machine that was putting happily on top of the White White Sea. The figure turned around as Andrea and the bull masked man got closer.

"Nami?" Andrea gasped in surprise and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the man reach for the bazooka on his back. She tried to reach for the man's arm but he merely shrugged her off.

"Use your mantra, foolish woman." Andrea bit her lip but felt out anyways. Her body shook as she sensed conflict. "Stand clear."

Nami's eyes widened as she scooted slightly but was slightly relieved when the man aimed his weapon above her and fired. The fighting ceased immediately but one man, the one who was running from the others Andrea realized, managed to survive. The battle worn man reached out to Nami with hope. "Let me on your boat, please! I'll do anything you want!"

"What do I do?!" Nami wailed in fear as she kept an eye on the bull masked man. Andrea realized with in her shock, the navigator must not have recognized her. "I only have one seat… what could I help?"

A beam of light however shot down from above obliterating the fearful man completely. Andrea shielded her eyes hurriedly and saw the man next to her do the same using his own shield. Before Nami could ask them anything, Andrea's hand was yanked by the masked man. "We're going now," he ordered and yanked her wrist away from the area. The marine attempted to resist but his grip was too strong.

Her lungs however had no problem displaying her displeasure. "You haven't explained who you are, why you wanted me to follow you and now I can't even help my brother's crewmate?"

The man waited until they were a safe distance away from the forbidden island. "My name is Wiper. I am the leader of my people and you will help us stop Enel and this war."

He released her hand and Andrea murmured softly in confusion. "Why me? Why not my brother or his crew that you attacked?"

"He could not hold off my attack but you did. You have touched the face of death." Andrea's palm glowed eerily and she looked down at it with wonder. "We will show you the way to use that power and in return, you will help us."

"Whatever. Let's go." Wiper nodded and motioned for her to follow him

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu looked outside to see quite a gathering of clouds. _Odd… thought it was supposed to be sunny today._ He gathered up the medical file he was going to take back to vice admiral Garp when the stubby bonsai caught his attention. It was quickly sprouting leaves before his eyes to match the other bonsai. Shrugging curiously, he swept out of the room clenching the papers tightly.


	70. Explore Thyself

Fun note: Saw Pacific Rim the other day and I enjoyed it!

A thanks to reviewers jasje20, 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202, and dark-driex-07!  
+ jasje20: I'm guessing that's a happy review :)  
+ 18KmPerHour: Andy just strikes me as the type of person who would name about any animal she comes across. As for her role in the war, you'll see soon :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: Mantra is the name that people of Skypiea and the surrounding areas give Observation Haki. It's the name it was introduced under but in the manga, was not explained until much, much later  
+ dark-driex-07: Yeah Skypiea really isn't too exciting for me so I'm trying to focus more on things other than what we just see with the Straw Hats lol. No bonsai mention this chapter though :o

Please enjoy this chapter everyone!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 70: Explore Thyself**

"I don't need a doctor, thank you!" Andrea sputtered indignantly as she backed out of the triangular tent that she had been escorted to. Wiper just rolled his eyes as he followed the reluctant marine while the medicine woman of the tribe was at his side.

"I explained she's not a doctor already. You however require spiritual guidance."

The marine snorted as she crossed her arms and glared at the leader of the Shandians with a critical eye. Mask or no mask, he was still a rather intimidating man. "How so? I don't plan on staying up in the sky forever you know."

The old woman, dressed in ceremonial garb held out her arms to Andrea respectfully. "Your powers are being held back. I can feel it in my bones, child."

"And what is this nonsense being yapped about my scar? The circumstances about how I received it are no one's business but my own." Andrea flopped on the ground and stared at the White White Sea in front of her. "The other people here are treating me with reverence that I know I don't deserve or want. Just explain why I'm here in the first place."

Andrea held out her hand, palm up, which glowed a soft white light but, emitted no further power. The medicine woman touched the scar gently and the glowing ceased. "You touched and swore a promise to one of the dearly departed. That… is the significance of your scar. It represents your promise and radiates the power of your promise. You will help us in this war and we will help you use that power appropriately."

The marine rolled her eyes in defeat. "Alright then. Now what?"

"Describe your powers. Between the two of us, we will train you." The marine sighed at Wiper's orders but what choice did she have.

"Ok… so I think about my dead brother and my promise to him. When I feel the emotion from it, I channel it to my hand." She held up her right hand which began to glow almost serenely. "If I wish to fight… I can imagine a devil fruit power I have seen which is easier the more familiar with the user I am…" Biting her lip, she concentrated and was surprised to see how much effort it was to produce a flame.

"Put that out you fool. Flame eats the precious oxygen that is scarce here." Rolling her eyes at how uptight the Shandian leader was, she extinguished the flame.

"Tell me how you imagine the devil fruit users or their powers," the old woman asked softly as her eyes were focused on Andrea's palm.

"Oh I suppose. Well think of a fingerprint or rather a handprint would be more accurate. Every little trait, personality tic or behavior of a person and what their devil fruit is would make this theoretical print unique I suppose. I try to mentally imagine the person and how they would use their power to help me materialize the power but the problem is the normal, non-scarred flesh of my palm. It bleeds if I do this too much or gets damaged by the power I use."

"Then you're doing it improperly," Wiper determined immediately. Andrea snorted but said nothing as she really had no way to ascertain if she was even doing this right or not.

"Trial and error is the only thing I have," she begrudgingly explained. "It's not like there is a written account of people like me or devil fruit users deciding to explain the ins and outs of their powers to me."

"Maybe you need to bend the power to your will." Andrea's eyes widened at this as she never considered doing so. The medicine woman smiled at the shocked look at the young woman's face before continuing her theory. "Your palm, or rather the scar on it, is a symbol of a powerful promise to a deceased person. That is keeping you alive and giving you the ability to protect or fulfill the promise. Why would it intentionally limit you?"

Tilting her head curiously, Andrea focused on her palm and allowed a small blob of magma to manifest on her arm. The blob sat onto her palm rather than floating above it yet to Andrea felt cool and not warm at all. Putting a little more power through her palm, she willed the magma blob to take on a shape. Wiper could not suppress the wry smirk when she formed a magma dog which she placed onto the ground and allowed to run around. "That… was draining but not painful. Maybe you two are right. I never would have thought to specifically will the devil fruit power I would emulate. I thought I was only limited in ways that the users had but I guess it's different for me."

"You will now train with me," ordained Wiper who held a hand out to the marine to help her stand up. "Your stamina is disappointing and while you Blue Sea dwellers may not be used to the elevation, my people need you at your best."

A smile crept onto her face as she saw the ferocity of the Shandian before her. "I'll help you protect your people but understand that I will protect my brother and his crewmates."

Motioning to an empty area, he assumed a fighting stance. "Now use your powers or whatever skills you have. Our cause will succeed and this war will end." Smiling happily, the marine was happy to take the chance to blow off the steam caused by all the stress.

It had been an hour or so of fighting before one of the Shandian warriors came across the scene. He gave a respectful bow to Wiper when he came close to the two combatants. Andrea, although relieved by the break in the fighting, did not act so passive quickly. She surveyed the new warrior with interest and caution before sitting down to take a break. The fight and conversation she had with Wiper as well as the medicine woman made her do a lot of thinking about the potential her powers had. However a few choice words made her stop spacing out and listen to the report. "Gan Fall has been interfering with those priests of Enel's who were going to punish some people who illegally entered Skypiea."

Andrea's heart sank as she thought of her brother and his crew. Wiper looked at the sea with a calm expression. "It doesn't matter who our foe is whether it's an old god or the newer god, Enel. To people in our situation, both must be eliminated."

"But…" Andrea stammered before a few of the warriors gave her cold looks for interrupting their leader. "Gan Fall seems like a rather kindly old man. He also gives me a rather familiar feeling that I quite can't place."

"Wiper," a Shandian woman called out to him in a demanding voice. "For the first time since Enel became the god, there was resistance and Gan Fall saved a girl from his judgment. You realize this would make Enel turn his attention to the old god." Quite murmurs followed as the people who gathered around processed this information. "While he acted as a sky knight, we were not hurt by Gan Fall yet he never confronted Enel. Yet now…"

"I hope that him and a priest or two take themselves out then." The harsh statement from Wiper surprised Andrea with the pure vehemence it was said with. "I can understand this Blue Sea dweller stating doubts about Gan Fall but your statements about how he isn't our enemy? All he's good for is taking one of those mantra using priests down. Your attitude will hold us back in battle."

The woman shivered under his anger yet Andrea was unsure of how to comfort her without risking the disdain of the other warriors around them. Thinking of a way to change the flow of conversation, Andrea thought of a good question. "This mantra you speak of… you mentioned me having it?"

"Yes. I am unsure what you Blue Sea people call it but the fact you have it will prove useful as it is an exceedingly rare ability here."

_Is he referring to Haki?_ The marine wondered with curiosity as Wiper began to talk with his other warriors. _I suppose I should be thankful to Gramps and the admirals for their lessons…_


	71. Training in Games and Feeling

Bleh. Crappy day today as I was writing so I put this a little later than I preferred to but here it is!

As always a thanks to reviewers dark-driex-07, jasje20, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202!  
+ dark-driex-07: Down the line, there will be an explanation but the diagnosis on her condition was done by a medicine woman who isn't really employing any scientific methods with how she views Andrea's condition so in a way it is guesswork on her end but in a way, being given an explanation is putting Andrea at ease so she accepts it for now.  
+ jasje20: I'm glad and I hope you like this one too :D  
+ 18KmPerHour: That we shall see soon :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

I hope that everyone enjoys the next chapter!  
**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 71: Training in Games and Feeling**

The laughter of the Shandian children put Andrea's mind slightly at ease. Manipulating the magma puppy was proving taxing but not in a particularly bad way. She thought of it as exercising a muscle that she had not known that she had before. The children played with the puppy as if it was a real flesh and fur dog as the magma body did not incinerate or destroy the surroundings like real magma. "Be careful with Volc. He's rather new!" she hollered to the children who waved at her gratefully while making the makeshift pet chase a stick.

"Waste of your time amusing them," scolded Wiper who sat next to the marine. "They may be playing now but with this war going on, why are you feeding them false hope?"

"Please do attempt to pull that stick out of your ass," she retorted as she flicked her wrist causing the magma puppy to flip backwards. "Letting them smile for once isn't going to ruin their chance of becoming a warrior in the future. Besides this is good practice for me to control and develop stamina which, if I may add, is something you wanted me to do anyway."

"And you created a puppy… why?" The marine blushed at the question and her flustered mind caused the puppy to trip.

"It reminded me of someone," she stammered as she evasively looked away at the inquiring eyebrow.

"Whatever. Keep practicing your cheap parlor tricks." The man turned away from her just to hear a swish through the air and feel warmth on his wrist. Looking down, a thin flame whip was curled around his wrist. "Impressive."

"Glad to have your acknowledgement," Andrea chortled as she flicked her wrist causing the flame whip to unravel and travel back to her. The flame whip spun into a tightly woven circle which disappeared into her palm.

"You look rather tired," Wiper noted as she saw the subtle signs of fatigue on the marine. Her breath puffed uncomfortably and her brow creased with the effort it took to maintain her attempts at snarky stoicism.

"Just worried is all. My brother could be fighting someone and I'm here unable to help. I just can't sit here and do nothing, Wiper." The man snorted at her worries and the scowl he received did not deter him in the slightest.

"Working yourself to sheer exhaustion before we even start our attack will not help either." The marine snorted with amusement before halfheartedly swatting the man on the arm. The nearby children chuckled at the adults' behavior and Wiper could not help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. "They really like you. The children I mean. You should consider staying even after Enel is taken down."

The marine, who was making the magma puppy run around with the children, coughed with shock at what she heard. "Oh no no no no no no! I'm horrible around children! Look how my brothers turned out since I'm the responsible one!"

"But yet, here you are. Able to use this rare ability the priests have and on top of that, a rather talented combatant that has potential." She snorted at his assessment and although the flattery was rather warming, she was determined to not let it get to her. Before Andrea could reply, she stiffened immediately and the magma puppy stopped its erratic movements. The dog began to sit on its haunches and howl a deep, sober tone. A small girl ran towards them after scooping up the magma dog. "Aisa, you look worried. I take it your mantra picked up whatever this Blue Sea dweller has?"

The young girl nodded worriedly as she looked at the marine who was staring down at her hand. "Two of the voices in my head became silent."

Andrea nodded in confirmation as she closed her eyes to concentrate. "Gan Fall… I can't feel him at all and another power that I don't know."

"One of the priests maybe?" Aisa ventured cautiously just to have Volc bark in her arms.

Wiper stood up suddenly and looked at his people around him. "Then this is our chance. We must take this chance!" The people around cheered happily as they gathered up their arms and armor. Andrea even stood up and looked at the young girl who watched her expectantly.

"Keep Volc with you. He'll protect you even from a distance." Aisa nodded before running over to a warrior woman. Wiper motioned Andrea over to him as he lit up a cigarette. "You'd think a big shot warrior like you would be pleased at this development, no?"

He ignored the irate marine and led his warriors to the White White Sea where they equipped their skate wavers onto their feet. Andrea did so with worry as she was still not adept at using the unusual waver and her sense of balance was hit and miss to begin with. Wiper turned towards his troops who were shaking with anticipation, fear, and adrenaline. "This is a rare chance we have been presented with!" Wiper called out as he looked over his people with care. "We must not fear that fake god, Enel!" They charged the island which looked weird to Andrea as she surveyed it with curiosity.

"Wiper! How is it that this island is not made of clouds?" She shouted to him but he merely gave her a stern look.

"Is this really the time to ask trivialities?" he yelled back. He turned away just as Andrea gave him a rude hand gesture. "Now put your damn mantra to use!"

"Oh shit! Look out!" she screamed as a ship with a black crow as the figurehead floated in front of them. Scoffing, Wiper and several of the nearby warriors jumped up effortlessly. Andrea winced and emulated them just to look down at the boat and see three very familiar figures including one gangly, scrawny pirate in a Straw Hat. "Luffy?" she shrieked as she floated above them just to use Wiper pull out his bazooka.


	72. Peculiarities

A nice day today :o One of my friends had their baby today :3

Anyway, a thanks to reviewers jasje20, OnePiecefan202, and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you liked it :D  
+ OnePiecefan202: I actually feel the same :o  
+ 18KmPerHour: Well, he's a stubborn one :p

Please enjoy the following chapter!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 72: Peculiarities**

The Shandian leader flipped over backwards as he aimed towards the little boat. "Don't be stupid! They aren't priests!" It was too late however and the bazooka had fired already towards the little crow shaped boat. Luffy had leapt to the edges of the boat but Andrea acted first. Strands of light flew from her palm and surrounded the little metal ball hurtling towards her brother and his crewmates. The net of light caught the ball and another flick of her wrist flung the net upwards. The light disappeared around them as Luffy flung himself towards them using his devil fruit powers.

"You… are a devil fruit user," Wiper noted with great disdain as he stared down at the raven haired pirate who was eyeing Andrea with worry.

Andrea tugged on Wiper's arm but he yanked himself out of her grasp with anger. A few of the nearby warriors gathered around them in worry. "Should we engage them?"

Wiper shook his head as he looked at the three, worn out pirates. Sanji's critical eye surveyed the Shandian leader with recognition. "Luffy, that's the guy who attacked us earlier. Why does he have Andrea-saaan with him?"

"Why did you take my sister?! You want to start a fight!" Luffy shouted in anger as he shook his fist at the raider who stared back at him calmly.

"You're not that moronic to waste the people who took out one of the priests are you, Wiper?" Andrea stated calmly just to have the warrior leader turn to her with annoyance.

"And you neglected to say this why?" he demanded just to have the marine scoff in amusement.

"You were too busy being charismatic to your people and an asshole to me for me to so much as interject. In any case, shouldn't avoiding fights be more beneficial to your people?" Andrea pointed out and to her amusement, she heard a muffled snort come from Usopp who when she glanced at him, started to shake in fear.

"You must be the other Blue Sea dwellers that escorted this woman up here," Wiper coldly stated as he looked over at the thin, scrawny pirates on the equally thin, unintimidating boat. "If you fear death, go back to that Blue Sea of yours otherwise any unusual actions you take may result in me treating you like Enel. That means I'd eliminate you too."

Andrea swatted his arm in annoyance which caused the other warriors to gasp at how casual and disrespectful she was with their leader. "I won't let you hurt them or so help me…"

Her threat remained unfinished as a frenzied Luffy decided to shout abuse at Wiper. "Asshole! What are ya trying to say? Don't make me go there and kick your ass!"

"Luffy!" wailed Usopp as he latched himself around his captain's waist. "Please just shut up and let Andrea take them away!"

"So… that fancy speech of your friend's Andrea-san must mean those raids and this Enel god guy are enemies," Sanji probed subtly and he was rewarded with a nod.

"Finally! A voice of reason!" the marine muttered in relief as she gave an approving smile to Sanji but said marine was getting her arm yanked by the raider's leader.

"Just to leave, they'd have to be strong. Maybe they have hope or maybe they won't," Wiper muttered with disdain as he ordered his troops to move out.

Luffy just stared after their quickly disappearing figures. "What's up his ass?" the pirate scowled in annoyance as he was focused on his sister who went with them. She had turned back for a moment to wave before almost falling face first. Wiper scowled as he yanked her up to him.

"Be serious, woman! You worrying over your little brother will get our lot killed." Andrea bit her lip guiltily and glanced back momentarily.

"Well… We'll just have to kick some ass won't we?" Wiper shook his head with annoyance at the flippant attitude.

However, the ass kicking she spoke of was certainly going to require a lot of difficulty and effort. The giant dog that decided to assault the attack force now was anything but similar to the little magma puppy that she had conjured with her powers previously. The fierce animal had no problem snarling or attempting to use the Shandian force as a chew toy. The two remaining priests stood strong as they easily evaded the attempts to injure them and sneered at the warriors. "Put yourself to use, Blue Sea woman!" Wiper shouted as he readied his bazooka and charged towards one of the priests.

The priest with black hair, pointing upwards at awkward angles attempted to intercept Wiper just for the leader to smirk madly.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy stared at the injured sky knight who was laying on a futon set out for him. He had been sad to see the Going Merry without a mast but seeing this man's pain and injuries stirred his heart. "He really went this far out of the way for a freebie whistle?"

Chopper shivered in fear as he thought about the fight with the priest of Enel. "If he didn't come, I would have died and the ship be gone."

Sanji hummed as he looked over the knight. "There's a lot I want to ask him." He petted Pierre who looked highly affronted at not having any credit being given to him. "The fact Andrea-san was with those rebels is troubling…"

"My sister finds trouble because she's too nice," stubbornly maintained Luffy who started to pet Pierre out of boredom. The bird preened at the attention however. "I wonder if her boyfriend is so troublesome too…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu sneezed. _Someone must be talking about me…_ Then another sneeze. The pain receded from his nose quickly and he looked at the desk in front of him. The poor little bonsai that was starting to regrow was covered in magma while the one next to it still looked pristine. _Dammit…_


	73. The Price of Pain

Omnomnomnom potato wedges!

A thanks to reviewers jasje20, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202  
+ jasje20: Hehe Luffy is rather amusing to me lately when I've been writing the chapters out. Wiper's attitude towards Andrea is rather warm considering who he is and the fact that no one really stands up to him within his people :p  
+ 18KmPerHour: When I wrote the line, I actually thought of Shikamaru from Naruto :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: I actually imagine living as a logia would be full of mishaps like what happened to the poor bonsai to be honest :p

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 73: The Price of Pain**

"Kamakiri is hurt!" one of the Shandian warriors shouted towards Wiper with pain. Andrea heard the other warriors shift in battle stances as they awaited orders but she had no intention of worrying over one person.

"What the hell do you think you are?" she shouted to Wiper as she had to shove him out of the way of the massive dog's jaws. "If you're warriors, shouldn't you know that a war is rarely without fatality yet alone casualty?"

"You overestimated your forces," the bald priest murmured from on top of his dog as he looked at the Shandian forces. "Just wait til nightfall to see what we really can do."

"Get the wounded out of here!" Wiper ordered his force as he looked firmly at the priest and the massive, yellow dog in front of them. "We will retreat for now and rendezvous at the rally point!"

Andrea stood her ground as she held her dagger firmly with her left hand. She charged the bald priest who held a sword to counter her dagger with. He used his strength to swat away her blow but did not expect the fire to shoot out of her right palm. He barely dodged it and saw the flame take hold on the forest behind him. When he turned to look for the woman, he saw their retreating figures. Before he could encourage his dog to pursue them, the voice of his fellow priest stopped him. "Ohm! Wait a minute!"

He turned to see the priest with the odd black hair sticking up at weird angles. "What, Gedatsu? Is eliminating them not a priority of ours?"

He nodded but motioned away. "Enel has summoned us."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"You foolish woman! Destroying the land that belongs to my people is not what you're here for!" Wiper shouted none too quietly at Andrea.

"So I should have allowed that priest to annihilate your forces?" she retorted as she watched a couple of the warriors sporting bandages. Laki looked rather guilty as she held a bag close to her. She was hovering rather closely to Kamakiri. "If you knew basic science, you'd know that the charred plant life helps to revitalize the soil anyway," she sneered at the warrior leader who turned his back to her in annoyance.

He noticed Laki walk away from the injured Kamakiri and felt curious how she was rather attached to the bag that was left next to him. Walking to it, he opened it and felt his temper flare even more. "This… is why you were injured?" he howled with disdain as he threw the bag angrily to the side. The Vearth scattered partially in the wind and on the ground.

"Why did you throw Aisa's treasure?" Laki cried as he ran back to the gathered warriors. Andrea held onto the Shandian woman's arm to prevent Wiper's fury from taking its hold on her.

"Listen closely because we won't have another chance!" Wiper muttered in a hard voice to his people. "Those injured people or those who fear fighting ahead may stay behind as I would not blame them in the slightest."

One of the warriors murmured in confusion, "What are you talking about, Wiper? We're always ready to stand at your side!"

The leader lit a cigarette in a way that reminded Andrea of Sanji as he stuck it in his mouth. "You must be ready to leave behind your fallen comrades if you wish to join me in battle. You must be ready to accept their sacrifice and step on their bodies if need be in order to accompany me. Today…" he looked at his troops with pride filling his chest. "We will cut off Enel's head!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Enel smirked at some of the people gathered around him. He pointed to a member of his harem and demanded some fruit to quench his hunger. He turned to the people gathered below him in barely concealed amusement. "I estimate after three hours, only five fighters will be left out of my forces, the Shandian fighters and those Blue Sea varmints."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea groaned at the blisters her feet were likely to have. They had not rested for long before taking off with a surprising amount of warriors. Wiper was very quiet with her after his rousing speech but that was rather warm compared to the frosty attitude he had towards Laki. Andrea shook her head as she thought on it. She could not blame the Shandian leader for being rather angry. Was gathering dirt really worth the lack of attention on a battle with a powerful foe? It did not even take that long before they had an encounter but it was with a different priest than before. "Hello Shandians! And what do we have here…? A Blue Sea woman fighting with you all? How interesting," he leered at the marine who glared back. "Please pardon how violent my welcome will be."

"That's Shura!" one of the warriors shouted which made Andrea have an odd feeling.

"You're the priest who was defeated earlier by that sky knight," she pointed out mockingly which flared the priest's temper.

"There are quite a few things different now than earlier," he retorted with a sneer. Andrea was glad the leer was gone and actually preferred the cocky attitude. That was… until she realized she was unable to move. "Your survival rate is around three percent and even lower for the big mouthed woman." Andrea could not help but snort in amusement as she felt with her Haki that Wiper actually snuck off prior to them approaching the priest. "Are you all ready for the trial of strings? I should have warned you to be careful but oh well."

"There are strings around us," mused the amused marine. The smirk that was threatening to take her face was even stronger when she noticed the rather unaware mantra user gloat more.

"In my territory, this string is everywhere. So thin that people cannot see or feel and you foolish people have been entangling in them since entering the island. In bundles, these can stop even the biggest people." Out of the corner of her eye, Andrea saw the Shandian leader move softly above the priest remain undetected. "Your stupidity have gotten you all caught in my trap!"

"But not I!" a proud voice roared.


	74. Teamwork Isn't that Painful

Well... a mellow day for me o.o So easy writing day! Also got more songs on my ipod so happy days... but I can't think of half the music I wanted on it X_X

Pleased to see another favorite/follow :o But I do love reviews too!

Speaking of, a thanks to reviewers jasje20, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202!  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you like it :D  
+ 18KmPerHour: For me, Skypiea isn't my favorite arc so I am trying to make it a little more interesting :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: I would love more reviews :o Most of my reviewers started partway into the story X_X Main reason I kept writing despite the initial lack of reviews was that I was seeing follows and views but review luff is heavenly :D

Please enjoy everyone!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 74: Teamwork Isn't _that_ Painful**

Andrea smirked as her little flame whip caught the foot of the bird that the priest Shura was riding upon. The stumbling avian bucked his rider causing Wiper, who was aiming a bazooka, to smirk wildly as he shot downwards. The annoyed priest held his lance and attempted to jump up towards the raider but the distraction caused by the marine had proved to the Shandian's advantage. Wiper smirked as he allowed his bazooka to fall away after the shot. He allowed gravity to carry him towards the priest who looked at him in confusion. "Are you fool enough to discard your weapon?" Wiper smirked and despite the scratch that the now enflamed lance was inflicting which was quickly becoming a dangerous wound, he started to laugh as his hand fastened onto the priest's shoulder. Shura felt a dial and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You can't beat me with a mere impact dial!"

Wiper chewed on his cigarette with his smirk still in place. "This is much stronger than that. Reject Dial!"

Shura stumbled backwards as he coughed up blood. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed onto the ground. His pet bird flew off aimlessly with his master lost. The other Shandian warriors cheered for their leader's victory while Andrea sliced the threads around her and the other fighters with the fire whip she had used to trip up the bird. The minute they were free, she walked next to Wiper and kicked at Shura. "We should check for a pulse."

The warrior leader nodded as the marine placed her right hand directly over the priest's heart. A wide beam of light enveloped the body's chest. She crinkled her face in a wan smile. "No pulse." She observed Wiper waver on his feet as the slightest smirk came upon his face. "Oi! Anyone who is a decent medic, get your ass over here!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Gan Fall scratched at his bandages with worry but the young, energetic crew that was taking care of him made him feel more at ease. "Most Blue Sea folk like yourselves aren't used to fighting the same way we do. I'll give you an example." He hobbled over to a barrel that was on the deck of the newly, magically fixed Going Merry and placed a dial onto the top.

"Is this really necessary?" Nami wondered as she looked at the small dial with curiosity.

"Seeing is believing. Now strike that dial with all your strength," the old man ordered.

Sanji shrugged and grabbed a hammer as he looked at the barrel. "Why are you using that giant hammer rather than your feet?" Robin mused as the cook started to preen at the archeologist's attention and flex his biceps.

"Don't break a hole in the deck or I'll hate you forever!" Usopp shouted just to have the sky knight shrug.

"Remember: all your strength, young man." Usopp's face paled as he glared at the knight as if he was giving permission to hurt the Going Merry.

"You're only saying that because this isn't your ship!" howled the sniper as Sanji tested the weight of the hammer in his hands.

Imagining the swordsman's face on the barrel, the chef smirked. "Well, here I go!"

"Don't try so hard!" whined Usopp until he saw nothing happen. Sanji looked at the barrel in utter disbelief as Usopp scoffed. "I know I told you to not hurt the ship but that was rather pathetic… and that's coming from me!"

The blond chef was poking the dial in irritation. "As hard as I swung, there should have been a massive hole in the barrel…" The dial sat there happily as if mocking him. "Did that thing really absorb all the power?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"I need one of those dial things, Wiper!" Andrea chirped happily as she watched Laki carefully wrap his arm in a bandage while administering pain killers to the leader. "Those definitely could even out a fight."

"A frail woman like you would be unable to use the dial I used," he sniped at her as he held the dial in front of her. "This thing could kill you or at the very least, render your arm unusable."

"Ah… point taken," she murmured thoughtfully as she saw him wince as another scrape on his arm was being disinfected. "Maybe a different dial would be more advisable," she muttered to herself as she mourned her lack of knowledge about dials.

"You could be formidable with a dial in conjunction with your abilities," Laki spoke up to see a grateful marine smile back at her.

"Aren't you glad you came with us instead of gathering a bag of dirt?" Andrea chortled as she saw the mortified look on the warrior woman's face.

"But… that's treasure to Aisa!"

"And if the war is won, she won't need a particle of dirt and mud. She'll have a whole island to traipse." A small smile crawled on her face but Kamakiri started to shout at Wiper.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So… Shura was defeated," cooed Enel in amusement. "He was foolish enough to underestimate dials in combat."

One of the miscellaneous advisors around Enel winced in worry. "Priests that were undefeatable and two of them were defeated?!"

"That raider leader really went crazy on Shura," Enel chuckled as he looked down at his nails as if they were suddenly of interest. "And that woman with the mantra… Those two are a formidable pair but all the same, they will fall to god's will."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kamakiri remained calm despite the bazooka shell that was hurtled past his head. "I maintain my stance, Wiper. You cannot use the Reject Dial again!"

"There are sacrifices in war!" Wiper screamed at his friend. "Without them, we cannot win!"

"Fighting amongst each other only makes us an easier target," Andrea pointed out in annoyance as she felt out with her Haki. "There are two priests left, correct?"

"We'll split up," another soldier proclaimed as Wiper collapsed due to his wounds. "You, Blue Sea woman." Andrea raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Watch over him. There may be sacrifices in war but his doesn't have to be a total sacrifice."

The marine shrugged in agreement as sat next to the stubborn leader as the warriors scattered around them. She felt them move quite quickly and a timid chuckle escaped her. "You ready to go?"

Wiper pulled himself up and nodded. He took off quickly in a direction which made Andrea scrunch her brow with familiarity. The warrior paused on a branch and Andrea stumbled into him. Before she could complain, she saw a familiar face. "Oh Andy!"

"What are you doing here, brat?" Wiper rudely sneered at the pirate as Andrea jumped down to properly greet her brother.

"Luffy… why are you holding a stick?"


	75. Don't Fight but We'll Fight Anyway

I'm actually enjoying re-reading Skypiea arc o.o

Anyway, a thanks to my reviewers 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202, and jasje20!  
+ 18KmPerHour: Hehe, I felt the same way when writing  
+ OnePiecefan202: The power of Luffy's stick! :D  
+ jasje20: Thanks :D

I hope everyone likes this chapter!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 75: Don't Fight but We'll Fight Anyway**

"Let my sister go, you giant meanie head!" Luffy shouted as he pointed at Wiper with the stick in his hands. He turned to his sister with a smile. "Isn't my stick cool, sis?"

Before Andrea could attempt to answer her protective little brother, Wiper spoke up with annoyance. "I believe I told you to get off this island."

"Piss off," retorted Luffy who glared at Wiper as he shook the stick even more. "It's none of your business what I'm doing."

"This island belongs to my people and therefore that makes you being here my business," the Shandian spat back just to be puzzled to see Luffy's sudden apologetic expression.

"Oh… Well I'm sorry for intruding!" he murmured as he bowed respectfully. Andrea suppressed the chuckle that attempted to escape but she could not help the upturn of her lips at seeing Wiper's jaw drop at her brother's politeness. Luffy bowed again as he attempted to walk away but Wiper's brow tensed as he became annoyed.

"Get your ass back here!" he shouted just to have Luffy pause and stare back at him.

"What now? I thought you wanted me to go?" he retorted as he twirled the walking stick in his hands anxiously.

"Wiper… what the hell are you doing?" Andrea asked skeptically as she noted the Shandian's stance. She had already mentally placed him where she placed Smoker within her mind: a stern person who was annoyingly predictable.

"I'll just eliminate you so save your dumb excuses," Wiper muttered to the pirate who tilted his head in confusion. Seeing his sister's dumbfounded expression made Luffy smirk as he assumed a fighting stance of his own.

"Oh… you should have just said so!" Luffy chirped as his smirk became more pronounced.

"You both really are going to do this now…" the marine deadpanned in irritation as the two charged each other. "Completely disregarding the fact you both want to kick Enel's ass…" Luffy's arm stretched back while Wiper was prepping his Reject Dial. "You both are morons!" she shrieked in annoyance as she slammed both of their heads together. Although her physical strength was miniscule compared to the two males, this would guarantee that either would never underestimate a protective older sister. Luffy's eyes had bulged in surprise while Wiper's own widened with even further pain. Both men collapsed onto the ground next to each other. Andrea felt out timidly with her Haki and was worried when she felt how far away Chopper was. "Shit… please tell me both of you are awake."

"Meanie butt…" Luffy mumbled into the ground as his eyes closed. Andrea flipped Wiper over and saw he was unconscious from the impact affecting his other wounds. However, she felt something weird with Wiper when she touched him gently with her Haki. Being curious, she went over to the bazooka he was holding and barely glanced it with her fingertips when her wrist was grabbed.

"Never touch my weapon!" Wiper suddenly growled just to start cursing when Luffy slapped him half heartedly with the stick he was playing with.

"You recover rather quickly," Andrea noted as she swatted her brother but much softer than expected.

"Pssssst," Luffy stage whispered to Wiper. "If you pretend to be a lot more hurt than you really are, Andy stops being bitchy and becomes nice again." Despite his initial dislike of the pirate, the Shandian could not help but snort.

"I can here you," she retorted as she took away Luffy's stick and started to poke him with it. "Now both of you are staying put and you will shut your faces. You both are against Enel yes?" Both men, slightly intimidated by the irate woman, nodded quickly. "Now this implies that you shouldn't squander your power on non-essential fights yes?" Wiper nodded while Luffy's brow scrunched.

"But it could have been fun, Andy!" Luffy whined with a massive pout. "I wanted to show him my bazooka is better!"

Andrea facepalmed with an amused sigh. "But you would have wasted power that can be slammed against Enel. Your crew is in danger from him while Wiper and his people want their island back. Simply work together and everyone is happy."

Wiper contemplatively stared at the island around him while subtly taking Luffy's advice to act more injured than he really was. "What do you feel with your mantra?"

"My baby brother's crew and your people are wasting their time." Andrea sighed as she stared around. "You know I can understand you being mad at Laki but damn Wiper, throwing that bag of dirt around? Also Luffy, why is half your crew walking around by themselves while the other half is in the presence of Enel?"

"WHAT!?" Wiper and Luffy shouted to Andrea who stared back in confusion.

"Luffy, I assumed that your crew was helping in eradicating Enel but it would make no sense to have Usopp and Nami in the group to do so." The marine paused as she felt around more with her Haki. "Oh Sanji and Gan Fall are with them. Oh Sanji just got hurt. That feels painful in a long distance type of way." Luffy's eyes widened as he stared at his sister. "Ouch and now Usopp got fried. My sympathies, lil bro."

Wiper jumped over to Andrea and shook her quickly. "You rambling woman! Enel! You said he was there yes?"

"Oh he just left," she muttered in a confused manner as her eyes darted around suddenly. "I'm trying to locate him again but it's a little difficult now. Sanji and Usopp's pain along with everyone else's pain is getting in the way."

"Block it out!" Wiper ordered just to be shoved away by Luffy.

"Don't yell at my sister!" the rubbery pirate yelled at the Shandian who glared at him right back.

"Shut up you idiots. There are two others where Enel was. And they feel rather annoying," she grumbled as she massaged her temples.

"Tell us what else is happening!" Wiper demanded just to be swatted at by Luffy who had snatched away the stick from Andrea when she stopped paying attention to it.

"Don't order my sister around!" Luffy growled at the raider who got tired of the pirate and pounced on him.

"Oh I give up you two," Andrea sighed as she watched the two men wrestle around with each other. Luffy apparently forgot all about using his devil fruit powers in the brawl while Wiper had forgotten about his dials or enhanced bazooka. Rolling her eyes with incredibility, she sat cross legged with her right palm against the ground. Focusing her Haki, she was determined to find where Enel had gone to.


	76. Senses are the Enemy

Interesting chapter to write for me actually thanks to a pm that jasje20 sent me that made me really think about Observation Haki in its entirety and gave me a few ideas. A thing to ponder: the burden of how it would be like if you could not shut off your Haki due to it having been relied on so much in the case of Aisa or in Andrea's case, being forced to use it so often that you cannot stop using it.

Anyways, I'm glad to see another follow :o

Huge thanks to my reviewers jasje20, Artemis Decibal, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you like the chapter and again, I thank you for the pm :)  
+ Artemis Decibal: The two annoying voices that at the time Andrea sensed was Satori's brothers. Satori is the priest that Luffy, Usopp and Sanji defeated during the ball trial so they figuratively busted his balls. *cue my immature laughter here* They had shown up at the ship to 'take revenge' but of course, they lose as they do in the manga. I did like your guess about Robin & Zoro yet Andrea doesn't really find either annoying. More so, she tolerates Zoro due to their naturally suspicious natures while she finds Robin insufferable due to her actions but not really annoying. Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed Luffy and the chapter ^_^  
+ 18KmPerHour: Luffy has been hella fun to write :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: Having her talk about the injuries was my subtle attempts to reference where in the plot the rest of the crew are :p

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 76: Senses are the Enemy**

"Why… a bean stalk? The fuck?" Wiper halted his fighting with the rubbery pirate captain just to be head butted.

The Shandian winced as he touched his forehead gingerly. "What do you mean a bean stalk?"

"He's near there. And… someone else is there. Odd. Now I sense even more conflict involving that sky knight." Andrea tilted her head as she tried to broaden her senses but she just got more confused. Luffy jumped Wiper again in an attempt to get in a few punches while his sister was disorientated from using her Haki.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aisa shivered as the two Skypieans were smothering her with their concern. "Are you able to find the Blue Sea dwellers like this?" Conis asked with concern to receive a nod from the young Shandian. "That mantra must be a useful ability to have. But you've been shivering constantly. Are you ok?"

She shook her head in sadness as tears leaked from her eyes. "I feel everyone's voices disappearing. I've never been so scared."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea stood up suddenly and walked off. Luffy protested his sister's departure and ran to her. "Sis?" He pulled her arm back and she stopped just to look back at him with worry. Wiper sat up, nursing a bloodied nose and watched the siblings cautiously.

"There's a logia," she stated simply as she shook slightly. "Things are burning but it's not a fire." She froze suddenly and shivered even more. "Why are more people disappearing? Dammit!" She stomped around angrily just for the three of them to fall through the ground.

"Sis… what the?" Luffy looked at the treasure around him in wonder while Wiper groaned as he landed in a rather uncomfortable position on top of some ancient jewelry.

Andrea curled up as she looked around her. The skeletons around them and skulls still had a presence around that that tugged at her soul and senses. She glanced at her right palm using the weak light that came through the hole they made and saw the splatter of blood around. _Damn… Was hoping that wouldn't happen again._ She looked up to see Luffy take off in a hallway, stop to holler at them to keep up, then dash off again.

Rising up, she helped Wiper stand and they both took off after the over enthusiastic rubber man. "Hey sis, we're at a dead end." Luffy placed a hand on the rock face in front of them before glancing back. "Stop dragging ass!" he shouted back to them when Andrea groaned back a half hearted reply. The tunnels shook as Luffy punched the obstacle out of the way but they hardly made progress before another thing was in the way. "Sis, clouds are flooding in! Do you know if this will affect my powers?"

Andrea mumbled softly to her brother in a confused tone which did not help with his predicament. Stretching out his legs, he kicked out in front of him and the mass moved. "That appears to be alive," Wiper muttered as he stated the obvious. Luffy tilted his head before pummeling the living mass in front of them.

"I don't give a damn if it's alive! I want out now!" the pirate shouted when suddenly, everything shifted around them. Luffy landed on Wiper who groaned softly as his wounds slightly opening up while Andrea was pushed onto her brother. Her eyes widened with fear when she touched the area they were in.

"Everything is wet… The voice is so loud. Fuck! Luffy! Wiper! We are in something's stomach!" The two men stared back at her in confusion as whatever they were in started to shake again.

"If we're in something's belly, I'll make him cough us up!" Luffy chirped with sudden determination as he started to tickle the insides of whatever critter they were in. "I'm the one doing the eating! I am not the eatee!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Gan Fall watched with confusion as a massive snake started to shake as if in laughter. He had difficulty steering Pierre due to the fact he had grabbed Nami who had Aisa with her. The snake, seeing a meal as the meal was denied to it earlier, decided to take a bite out of the three people and the bird horse in front of it. Being a snake, he decided to swallow whole. Zoro watched in horror as Nami and the young girl he helped protect moments ago were now out of his protection but unfortunately, his lack of attention resulted with an attack on his shoulder and a blow to the back of his head. He collapsed near Chopper who was injured by the priest he had been fighting. "You should have focused on the business in front of you," the bald priest scolded as he looked coldly at the swordsman. "And now you can't save yourself, that reindeer or anyone."

Zoro groaned with pain as he gradually got himself to a sitting position. His eyes he thought were fooling him as he saw that unusually giant dog run around on two feet in a weird manner. Another thing that caught his eyes was the unusual barbed wire half dome around the area. "Completely unnecessary," muttered the swordsman. "You really thought I'd run away?"

"This isn't just to prevent escape!" one of the priest's lackeys called out with disdain.

"So… I could do this?" A Shandian kicked the lackey in the face which caused him to fly towards and be impaled on the wiry cage.

Zoro shrugged as he eyed the giant snake which looked like it had a stomach ache, the few random Shandians and God's militia around before his eyes zoomed back onto the bald priest. "I wonder how I'll get out after I kick all of your asses."

"You're quite the jokester," Ohm chuckled as he looked at the cocky swordsman. "Think about such triviality once you defeat me!"

Before Zoro could retort, he saw outside of the barbed wire dome, a woman run towards their group or rather the raiders trapped. He could not hear what she was saying but he heard 'Enel.' The minute the words left her lips however, the man in question appeared with a dark smirk on his face. Zoro's grip on his blades tightened as he watched the 'God' utterly defeat the warrior woman effortlessly and disappear in a flash.

"Priorities… priorities… And right now," he turned away from the priest who became miffed at Zoro walking away from him. "I have business with that snake involving the contents of its stomach." He smirked coldly as the snake stared back at him with a face that looked like it needed some pepto bismol.


	77. Belly of the Beast

An easy chapter for me to write o.o

Well then, a thanks to reviewers jasje20, 18KmPerHour, and OnePiecefan202!  
+ jasje20: I'm thankful that you enjoyed the chapter and your idea is a good one :)  
+ 18KmPerHour: I've been having the most fun writing Luffy out of all the characters lately :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: Glad you liked it :D

Please enjoy the chapter everybody! ^_^

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 77: Belly of the Beast**

"We've been swallowed whole," Gan Fall observed as he looked around at their surroundings with curiosity. Behind him, Nami was attempting to console the young Shandian who had landed on top of Pierre.

Aisa shivered suddenly and looked around with alarm. "Where… are we?"

"We were swallowed by a snake remember?" Nami murmured as kindly as she could to the young child. "We really need to get out of here before we get digested."

"You should have stayed on the ship, miss!" the sky knight attempted to scold her before looking at Aisa. "And why is that young Shandian with you?"

"I'm going to destroy you!" Aisa shrieked suddenly just to be held back by a weary navigator.

"Just show some respect. He saved us," Nami scolded the young girl who had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.

The sky knight turned his attention away from the females to prod at the snake's walls of innards. "I wonder if my lance could dig a hole through the stomach wall…"

"You'll just piss off the snake more," Nami roared at the former god. "Please don't be stupid. Do you really want to die?"

"You realize I was joking?" the older man joked just to be faced with the stern face of the navigator.

"You remind me a lot of my captain," she deadpanned just to hear a sneeze behind her.

"Oh hi Nami! Old man!" Luffy happily chirped as he trudged ahead of two other figures. Nami squinted carefully to see Andrea as well as a raider floating behind him on their roller blade type wavers. "How did you all end up in this magic cave?"

"Luffy! Where are your sandals? Your clothes look worn! How long have you been here?" Nami winced at the shabby condition of her captain yet noted something about the duo behind him. "How come you two don't look at crappy as Luffy?"

"Because my brother found it degrading to be carried and has no coordination so he can't use these wavers," Andrea muttered in annoyance as she held her head. "Got any sake? This fucking headache is killing me."

"Language, woman!" Wiper growled just to get a weak swipe.

Aisa however did not notice the profanity as like Andrea, she was holding her head. "This snake's voice is strong…"

"Snake?" Luffy questioned as he poked the walls around them. "Oh! Andy said we must be inside a creature so I guess we're in a snake?" The blank stares of the people around him did not deter Luffy's thought process in the slightest. "You know it's bad to get swallowed by a monster snake right?" Nami's face scrunched with incredibility as Andrea chortled through her painful headache. The navigator channeled her rage to yank on her captain's nose. "Nooooooooooooooo!"

"You realize that means you're in the snake's stomach too!" she howled with rage as she yanked his nose quickly.

"And he's the captain…" Gan Fall, Wiper, and Andrea deadpanned as they watched the two Straw Hat pirates flail around.

"How did you not know you were swallowed yet alone in a snake?" Aisa scowled as like the marine, her head was still pounding with the agony and burden of Haki.

"Oh we're in a snake's stomach?!" Andrea facepalmed before Luffy's eyes widened. "And we got eaten?!" Wiper looked at his Reject Dial contemplatively.

"We didn't get eaten. We just ended up in here… must have gone through a wound or whatever," murmured Andrea as she massaged her head in irritation yet noticed Aisa's pain. "Your mantra?"

The Shandian girl nodded weakly as Nami's voice overpowered what she was going to reply. "You realize your clothing is almost melted right, Luffy?"

"Oh so we need to get out of the snake. Which way is his ass?" Wiper's dial hand began to twitch dangerously before Nami smacked her captain.

"Bad idea!" she groused when she noticed Luffy's eyes light up. Sighing, she braced herself for his response.

"But when things get eaten, they go out the ass. You're smart Nami so you should know that!"

"Bad idea!" Nami whined as she pointed around them. "I'd rather stay here and be digested!" She started smacking Luffy around but all this did was have him bounce around the snake's stomach.

"Blue Sea women are scary," Gan Fall and Wiper intoned simultaneously as they looked not just at the enraged navigator but the highly agitated marine who was eyeing her dagger with a enthusiasm.

"You mean Nami is scary," Aisa and Andrea muttered as they both rubbed at their foreheads.

"So Luffy being Luffy likely was stirring up trouble inside the snake and causing him stomach problems. We should leave before the snake goes…" she froze as realization dawned on her, Gan Fall and Aisa. "Luffy…" her voice took a dangerously sweet undertone that made the listeners shiver with fear. "You were stirring up trouble while in the snake weren't you?"

"I was trying to dig a hole out!" Luffy proclaimed proudly. "When Andy said she thought we got eaten, I told her I'm supposed to eat and not be eaten! Nami, did you bring food?"

"IDIOT!" Nami growled as she began to trounce the Straw Hat. Andrea's eyes went wide all of a sudden as she shivered. Her sudden movements startled Aisa who was picked up by Wiper who held her protectively. Gan Fall jumped onto Pierre as Andrea stood on her waver blades carefully as the snake shifted suddenly. Nami, realizing how bad the situation was, grabbed her waver and upon hoisting Luffy onto it, they flew back towards the snake's mouth.

"Gan Fall! Take point!" Andrea barked out as she used her wavers to glide along the snake's stomach lining.

The sky knight nodded and lead the way out of the snake and luckily everyone was able to get out safely but the poor, oversized snake's head got stuck in the cloudy land. "What… is this place?" Nami pondered as she looked around cautiously while gripping the impact dial gauntlet close to her body.

"I've never been here before," the former god admitted quietly as he looked around as he kept his lance close at hand.

"Aisa… can it truly be?" Wiper muttered in wonder as the two Shandians looked around with great joy. "We're home?"

Nami's eyes scrunched as she took in the sight before her. "Is the giant snake dancing?"


	78. Where the Heart Is

Well, it has been an interesting day highlighted by the giant potato I am currently consuming!

Thanks as always to my reviewers jasje20 and OnePiecefan202! *sets out a piece of potato to lure 18Km*  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you liked the chapter and Luffy ^_^  
+ OnePiecefan202: My husband is a huge Kingdom Hearts fan :o

Please enjoy the reading!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 78: Where the Heart Is**

The giant snake curled about in the runes they had landed in. Andrea and Aisa gave each other peaceful glances while a small smile curled on their lips. Gan Fall was intrigued by the snake's motions as was Nami who simply was silent from shock. Enel however watched the creature with a bored disdainful look on his face. The navigator gasped as she realized something. "That snake… it's crying!"

Andrea had a small trial of tears evident on her face as she felt the sorrow of the snake but for Aisa, the sorrow of her people combined with the mantra made this sensation overwhelming. The young Shandian began to wail as the snake also began to cry loudly. Enel however, stuck one of his fingers in his ear with an annoyed scowl on his face. "You're very noisy, you annoying snake!" he flicked his wrist effortlessly and caused a bolt of lightning to strike the snake. "Now suffer God's judgment!"

Nami stared at the snake with great shock as it literally became fried before their eyes. Zoro bowed his head briefly out of respect for the giant creature. Andrea's knees buckled with the pain that the giant creature had conveyed but Aisa began to outright shriek in terror. Even Wiper's assurances and attempts to comfort her did not help the young Shandian. Robin peeked out from behind a ruin and stood next to the swordsman who gave her a weary glance. "Put aside your paranoia. We have bigger issues."

Zoro merely nodded as Luffy gave him a glance which he knew was serious. Before any of the Straw Hat men could charge however, Wiper pulled his bazooka with great flourish. He lobbed a couple shots at the cruel God but he smirked and simply using his mantra, avoided them. The logia pulled a dial out of his pocket and created a small, circular cloud for himself to land on. "You are such an ungrateful person. That's no way to treat the one who brought your homeland back." Wiper's dark glare did not damper Enel's personality in the slightest. "Now we have a game to play of survival. The question is: which one of you all," his glance swept across the ruins. He located them all visually and with aid from his mantra. "Which of you all will die?"

Nami shivered behind a ruined wall that Wiper had ordered her to hind behind with Aisa. Andrea was slumped next to the navigator and while not her normally calm, collected self, she was coherent enough to understand what was going on. The Shandian leader smirked as he stood in front of them. "I will not fall in this battle."

"Nor will I," Robin murmured softly as she stood up definitely. The damage that was done to the ruins by time saddened her but the deliberate damage done by this false God's orders infuriated her.

"I'd be a failure if I did not go through on my promise to my captain," Zoro smirked confidently as he saw his captain nod with approval.

"And I can't let my crew have all the fun," chuckled Luffy as he grinned widely before turning towards Enel and letting his smile darken slightly. "You will pay for how you hurt everyone!"

Gan Fall stood proudly with the Shandian and the Blue Seas folk as he felt something he had not known in a while: hope. "You will be the one to fall," he intoned deeply as he pointed his lance at the logia.

"How impudent," Enel sneered as he surveyed the fighters below him. "To think that one of you has the gall yet alone all of you believe I will fall?"

His smirk disturbed Nami who peeked behind the ruined wall timidly. _He's really dangerous… and I'm a sitting duck over here with these two._ Aisa was whimpering softly into Nami's chest while Andrea merely sat there like a lump but her eyes were flickering quickly with a sharpness that proved she was paying attention.

Enel opened his arms warmly as he looked at the fighters before him. "I am proud how you all outlasted my forces but do you realize who you're dealing with?" Gan Fall's hand tightened onto his lance at the logia's words. "Do you realize what facing a God is like?" Wiper's glance briefly traveled to the former God before hardening and glaring at Enel. "I see before me an old man trying to restore Skypiea to his vision of prosperity." The sky knight's glare had sharpened to be almost as sharp as his lance. "A warrior who wants the right to go to his real home." Wiper scowled but did not argue the point. "And mere pirates from the Blue Sea who wish to take gold."

Luffy tilted his head in annoyance for the man-god before him. "What's your angle? You're acting like we're the bad guys."

"This world is full of so many troubles and even this country has more than its fair share," Enel commented mournfully but Gan Fall's temper flared hotly.

"Cut this nonsensical crap and tell us what are you doing? Where is the militia you've held hostage?" The sky knight was not amused as Enel merely smirked back as if bored by merely being in his presence.

"I only wish to return. You act like that's so bad, Gan Fall." Enel shrugged as he looked at the former god with amusement. "The sky island where I was born is where people said God lives. There was a limitless amount of earth is the ideal world I seek to control. As God, it is my right to have it!" Wiper looked furious as the God continued his ramblings. "This puny God's Island you all sought to control is nothing to me but yet, there was fighting over it!" He looked at the fighters patronizingly as he continued. "You all fight in a philosophical way but this country in the sky defies what nature intended. Everything has a place where they truly belong."

Gan Fall's eyes widened in disbelief. "You don't mean to…"

"I'm doing as a God is intended to do, foolish knight." Enel smirk only grew wider as he took in the look on Wiper's face as he put together what was happening. "I'm merely sending everyone where they belong. Below the sky in fact."

"Do you realize how much that would destroy?" Gan Fall roared at the current God who just looked back blankly.

"That's the law of nature," he retorted as he raised a thick eyebrow in amusement.

"Your arrogance is sickening! The title of God is just a title to lead!" the former God argued back but the devil fruit logia user just shrugged.

"That's before I became God if you recall."

"The god you intend to be is not what the world needs!" Sweat dripped down the wizened man's brow with the frustration he felt.

"You worry about your precious militia so, don't you ex-God Gan Fall? Yet this morning they finished the job I gave them yet after I told them about my final plans, they revolted or… attempted to." The smirk on Enel's face was maddening in its length.

"But their families…" murmured Gan Fall in a defeated tone as he felt his grip on his lance falter. "Their families back on Angel Island…"

"Oh, I had forgotten about that. The families will require burials of course."

"YOU FIEND!" the sky knight screamed as he charged forward. Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Wiper tensed into a fighting stance as they saw the old man's actions.

"Gan Fall don't! His mantra!" shouted Andrea who bolted upwards and ran to stand behind her brother. Luffy looked at her with concern and tried to nudge her back to Nami.

The God, of course, avoided the rage filled attack effortlessly. Enel smirked and allowed electricity to flow through his fingertips as he surged his power through the knight wearing a full suit of armor.


	79. Logic of a Lunatic Logia

Well, I was approached about taking on a request for a One Piece story. If I end up writing said request, have no fear for his story still is my priority. Keep your eyes peeled but I will let everyone know if I do end up writing it so it could be a good read that my readers my enjoy :)

A thanks as always to reviewers jasje20, OnePiecefan202, Artemis Decibal, and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you enjoyed :D  
+ OnePiecefan202: Yeah, Enel freaked me out the first time I read him in One Piece :o  
+ Artemis Decibal: I'm glad you liked the chapter and while I do have the Marineford arc planned down the road, things will be going down differently :o But that's all I can say for now! (especially since I realized how far away that is xD) I do appreciate your thoughts and hope that when the story does progress there, that you will like what I will present :)  
+ 18KmPerHour: The snake really was on no one's side :p Please travel safely and the story will be here for you when you get back :D

Please enjoy the chapter! :D

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 79: ****Logic of a Lunatic Logia**

Nami screamed as Gan Fall collapsed in front of Enel, smoke rising from his armor. Aisa shivered even more violently in the navigator's arms as their cries mingled. Wiper, despite their antagonistic relationship, felt great sadness seeing the former God falter in front of him. Zoro winced at how quickly he was dispatched while Robin tilted her hat carefully to shield her eyes from the intense light. Luffy however, felt no reservation about charging the logia only to be halted by his sister grabbing his arm and stopping him. "Luffy! You need a plan before you charge or you'll end up like him!"

"Dammit Andy. Look at the old man. You know this isn't right!" Andrea bit her lip as she tightened her grip on her younger brother. He squirmed but she would not release him.

"The only God this world needs is me," Enel murmured as he smirked cruelly at the older God collapsing in front of him. Feeling the fear and anger of the other fighters in front of him made him feel delirious with excitement as he turned his crazed grin towards them.

"He's a devil fruit user but it's different than Robin or Luffy's…," Zoro observed as he tightened his grip on the swords in his hands.

"Lightning… one of the more difficult logia types to defeat," Robin noted as she tensed to prepare for battle.

"How can we win against lightning?" Nami sobbed as she held Aisa close to her.

"Normal attacks don't work versus logia," Andrea explained to the non-devil fruit users. "And the only person here who actually took down a logia by using it's weakness if Luffy-kun."

Before Luffy could ask for more information, Enel kicked Gan Fall away from him. "Now that he's out of the way, I will travel to that sacred land." His cruel gaze locked onto the pirates, Shandians and marine before him. "You all will accompany me."

"You're joking," Zoro frowned as he could still practically hear the sizzle of lightning through the former God's armor.

"It's a simple concept I'm sure even the muscle head will understand," Enel explained condescendingly while Zoro glared at him. "I will create a new land and only those handpicked by me will be allowed there."

Nami's eyes widened at the logia's statement. "Is he insane?" she muttered lowly but her words only made the God grin wider.

"My previous followers are unfit to live in that sacred land as they failed this game of survival."

"And if we refuse?" Robin tilted her hat upwards with curiosity as she asked. Andrea placed her hand over Luffy's mouth to stop the statement that would surely cause a lot of harm.

Nami's eyes widened even more at Robin's blatant statement but even more so at Enel's perplexed expression. "You can't refuse when I've already decided," he declared. "Stay here and you fall into the abyss with this country."

"I suppose your power would make that possible," Robin conceded easily which made Andrea raise a trembling eyebrow. The female paramecia met her gaze for a split second which made the marine tense cautiously. "But that bell you desire… would it not fall also?"

The God laughed dismissively. "I can only think of one place that golden bell would be." Robin's eyes widened as Enel took a dangerous step towards her. Nami's ears heard gold but her body was rigid with pure fear. Wiper chewed on the cigarette in his mouth with curiosity as the God crept closer. "You really believed you could trick me didn't you? You honestly believed I would enable you to find it. Actually underestimating God… How shallow of you." His pale face darkened with barely suppressed rage. "I dislike shallow women."

Nami screamed as Enel charged his attack. Even knowing what the logia's power was did not help Robin against it as she felt the many volts of electricity wrack her body. Luffy escaped Andrea's grip which had loosened after Robin had met her eyes earlier and he ran towards Robin. Her body twitched slightly with the electricity going through it but Luffy was able to hold onto her easily. After a second, the power ceased and her weak breathing could be heard. Luffy stood tall and his hard eyes sought out his first mate. "Take care of her, Zoro!" he ordered and nodding mutely, Zoro took her in his arms. His glare quickly honed in on Enel's. "You hurt my archeologist," Luffy stated harshly as his fist clenched in rage.

"I can see that even without my mantra," Enel deadpanned as his gaze turned to the green haired swordsman who was holding Robin gently. Zooming past Luffy, he twirled his staff and attempted to attack Zoro who barely blocked the blow. "Your arms are rather powerful," he complimented easily but the pirate snorted in disgust.

"You're really pissing me off!" he pushed the logia away as his body ached with the wounds he had obtained earlier. Wiper took the chance as he grabbed the bazooka in his hands, took aim and fired. Enel merely smirked with amusement as he soared through the air and destroyed the attack.

"You all really don't understand. Pathetic attacks like that are useless against me," the God scolded with a superior look on his face.

"He's right," Andrea admitted shakily as she looked at Robin's still shaky body and then Gan Fall's still body. "To hit something that can become intangible…"

"Someone with common sense," Enel groused as he looked at the marine who was eyeing him with disdain in her eyes. "Why do your companions attack me despite the invitation I extended them?"

"Because your dream world breaks everyone else's dream!" Luffy shouted as he launched himself at the logia in a rage. Nami shrieked with worry but then she noted a wry smirk on Andrea's face. He drew his fist back but Enel nonetheless avoided it easily using his mantra and kicked Luffy through a ruined wall where the rubber man laid as he groaned with pain.

What the marine did not anticipate was Zoro going after his captain after placing Robin on the ground near her. All of his blades were drawn as he charged the logia with justified anger in his eyes. "Zoro don't!" Nami screamed but to no avail.

"Apparently you haven't learned what God's capabilities are," Enel grinned eagerly as he awaited the swordsman's blades. They slashed horizontally through his stomach but he merely reformed himself and grinned at the tanned man's shocked expression. "You simply can't win. I suppose it is my duty as God to teach you what hopelessness is. You see, to a normal mortal man that is equal to death anyway." Gripping Zoro's blades in his hands, he sent electricity through them and they surged through the swordsman's arms. Zoro collapsed weakly but was conscious. "For mere mortals, death is terrifying no?" He stepped on Zoro's head, pushing his face into the dirt. "That is why men kneel so well to their God with their heads to the ground and beg for the blessing to live! When terrified, it is only their nature speaking." Zoro groaned weakly as Andrea attempted to run towards him but Wiper pushed her far enough back that she was near Nami again. Dropping his bazooka, he grabbed Enel and wrapped himself around the logia, ensuring that his waver skates touched him. The God merely stared blankly at him. "What suicide attempt is this?"

The Shandian leader smirked as he felt Enel waver in strength. "Do you know what Seastone is, Enel?"


	80. Déjà vu

Waiting to hear word of whether or not I'll end up writing the request story since I've actually started thinking about the plot

Woot another follower to the story ^_^

Nonetheless, a thank you to reviewers jasje20, Artemis Decibal, and OnePiecefan202  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you enjoyed :D  
+ Artemis Decibal: This is easily the longest fanfic I have written and stuck to so I'm proud :) But yeah the story will be freaking huge when it hits Marineford but at the same time, this story is long already :p And actually is like the longest English story that has Akainu as a character tag :o And the fans need to feed all the Admirals more love!  
+ OnePiecefan202: Hehe that's quite the coincidence :o I do want to try to finish my stories up but after not writing those plots for so long, it feels difficult picking them up but who knows!

Please enjoy the story!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 80: ****Déjà vu**

Zoro coughed weakly under Enel's foot but the beginnings of a grin formed when he felt the God's strength lessen. He pushed himself out from under the cocky logia and backed up cautiously. Zoro's eyes widened when he saw the Shandian pull out a dial while holding Enel. "Zoro! Stop him!" Andrea pleaded but the swordsman's injuries proved too much for him to move and Andrea would not be able to interfere in time.

Enel merely smirked at the warrior. "Using a Reject Dial on me? Your body can't take it. All this effort to reclaim your home will be worthless."

"Just shut the hell up!" Wiper roared at the trembling devil fruit user. "If you die, I don't care if I die in the process!" Dust kicked up from the power of the dial and obscured the two men. Enel coughed up blood and fell backwards as his eyes rolled back. Wiper managed to barely remain standing but his arm was bloody and felt shattered.

Nami ran over to Robin and Gan Fall in relief but Andrea ran over suddenly to the battlefield. "You need to behead him now!"

Zoro looked at her in confusion before she pointed at the unconscious Enel. Luffy managed to dig himself out of the rubble he had been kicked into earlier. "Oh dammit. Did I miss the fight?"

"Luffy…" Andrea stammered as she looked at Enel cautiously. "By chance do you know Armament Haki?"

"What?" Andrea mentally cried as she looked at her brother's confused face.

"Well since the Seastone isn't in contact with him, we need to kill him completely otherwise…" Just as she was about to explain, electricity surged from the logia's body. The spare electricity flared around dangerously but Luffy stood his ground, unafraid while his sister waved her right palm around to collect the sparks into a tightly compressed ball which she tossed in the air to scatter harmlessly. The battlefield was deathly quiet until Aisa started to scream.

"He restarted his heart!" she warned them as she pulled Nami back with her to hide. The navigator paused momentarily to get the sky knight and her fallen crewmate to safety.

Enel chuckled as he sat up, tilted his neck as if trying to massage the muscles then stood suddenly. He took in the surprised, fearful looks on everyone's face. "Do you not understand? Mere mortals cannot make God feel fear. God controls fear." The blood he had coughed up was caked on his face but the logia felt like he had to clean it off. Wiper started to tremble at the calamity that the logia displayed and he collapsed onto the ground. Even his arm was proving difficult to move as the muscles protested any attempt to move yet alone flex. "You look horrible, Wiper," Enel commented easily as he eyed his foe critically.

"You are not to use my name so casually!" the proud warrior declared. "I am a descendent of those who fought to the death for their homes and for hundreds of years we searched for this place. Our home!" He shakily stood back up and glared at Enel who viewed him calmly. "Now get the fuck out of the way, false God."

Enel frowned as Wiper charged forward in an attempt to use the same strategy. Andrea attempted to intercept the attack but Luffy held her back. "What the hell, bro?"

"Andy! If he took down this guy before, he can do it again." Andrea shook her head frantically as she watched Enel twirl his staff and smash the skate wavers that Wiper was wearing. "Oh…"

"You really thought you could use the same trick on God?" Enel mocked as he shook his head in pity. "Now you have no Seastone and without that, your Reject Dial really is a suicide technique. I am impressed how long you lasted but oh well."

Andrea gripped her brother suddenly. "Throw me now!"

"What?!" Luffy's eyes widened in confusion before a young voice screamed at him.

"Just throw her dammit!" Aisa shrieked from behind cover. Luffy felt the rage in her voice and listened to the females. He stretched and threw his sister just as Enel launched a thunderbird at Wiper.

Andrea closed her eyes as she felt her Haki around her like a blanket. She felt everything literally around her. The blood pulsing out of the wounded through their injuries. The crackling of the thunderbird as it soared through the air was deafening as her Haki amplified her senses. She felt Aisa's raw panic but she shut off the feelings and focused on what she needed: Enel. Channeling power to her palm, she siphoned part of the thunderbird to float around her like an electric halo but unfortunately Wiper still did take part of the attack. He winced from pain but was more focused on the marine who was attempting to gather the Seastone fragments together with her other hand. Zoro saw what she was doing and he shouted at Luffy. "Throw me! You can't touch those!"

Luffy nodded and hurled Zoro over to Andrea. He also began to run in an attempt to get close to the action. Enel noticed their actions and choosing to ignore Andrea for the moment, lobbed an electric creature at the swordsman. Andrea paused her actions and attempted to siphon more electricity but to no avail. All the marine managed to do was get the outer electricity to slightly fizzle but the creature managed to bite Zoro and send its power through him. His swords in particular conducted a lot of electricity as he dropped them in pain. Luffy's eyes widened as he rushed over to his first mate. When he held his nakama, the sparks did not travel to him. "Get your ass back here, Enel!"

The God turned back with half hearted amusement when he turned back and saw not only the pirate captain opposing him but also the Shandian leader and the female marine. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the young Shandian girl whimper with the pain she felt from mantra as she watched over the fallen people. "I fail to see why you all persist. At least you Blue Sea people have your tricks but Wiper… why struggle meaninglessly? This place, the home your people sought for so long, is just going to fall from the sky. You are a mere piece of trash so why do you block the way? The Blue Seas people came for treasure but why here I wonder?"

Luffy shook his head vehemently. "I'd rather help these people rather than take any ounce of gold from this island! What you've done to the people on Skypiea and those raiders isn't right! How you treated that old man knight isn't right either, pale bastard!"

"Wiper," Andrea murmured softly as she visually inspected the warrior's injuries. "Please trust us to take down this trash."

The proud warrior shook his head. "I must do my duty for my ancestors and my people!"

Enel rolled his eyes as he looked at the three people before him before his eye motioned over to the female navigator who shook in fear and the little Shandian girl who was being overwhelmed by her mantra. "People who don't submit to fear are truly annoying." He charged his power momentarily before smirking down at the Shandian warrior. "Now suffer God's Judgment!"

Andrea was pushed out of the way yet again before she could protest as Luffy leapt forward and jumped in the way of the electricity. The bolts of volts bounced harmlessly off Luffy's rubber skin and Wiper was unharmed below him. Andrea ran towards her brother as he landed unscathed. Worriedly, she noticed Enel was no longer in their presence but what happened definitely was a breakthrough in strategy that they definitely needed. "Why are you so worried, sis?"

"So it is as I thought," she mused as she gave him a quick hug. "Your body is immune to his logia attacks…"

"Like Seastone," observed Wiper as he collapsed onto the ground in relief that he was not struck by the lightning.

"Exactly and if this works how I think it will…" Luffy stared at his sister blankly as he waited. Seeing how the rubber man was no closer to connecting the dots, she sighed. "This means that you should actually be able to hit him." Seeing hope light up on the two men's faces made Andrea give a small smile but she had some concern. _My brother can't keep relying on his devil fruit to provide him immunities… Especially with Crocodile. That was a mere fluke. Oh well, we need to deal with this one thing at a time._ "Oh I suppose we should pursue Enel."

Luffy's head swung around wildly as he looked. He heard a soft scoff from behind and turned to see Aisa shake her head at them. "I feel where he's gone. Andrea-san has also I wager."

The marine nodded her head in confirmation. "I'm certain we can get there soon but I'm worried about them." She motioned towards her brother's crewmates, Gan Fall and the random Shandians around them. "We can't wait here while Enel is doing who the hell knows what to enact his plan. After all, he's acting like our comrades dead and likely assumed that last attack would kill or scare us off. He's rather bad at mantra isn't he?"

Aisa chuckled as she went to Wiper and looked at his injuries. The proud warrior leader tried to nudge the young girl away but she latched onto his arm with determination. After failing to push her off, he sighed before nodding at Andrea and her brother. "I'll watch over the survivors here. Me and that orange haired woman will do what we can."

Nami nodded as Aisa smiled widely. Luffy looked at Nami and commanded, "Take care of everyone, Nami. I want them ready for when we help these people claim their home." Tears filled the navigator's eyes as she nodded happily. Satisfied, he turned towards his sister. "Lead me to that pale zapping bug, Andy!"

Chuckling at her brother's humor, she gave a last glance at the Straw Hat's various conditions. Zoro and Robin were conscious albeit worn and toasted looking. "Of course. Let's stop this insane plan. Maybe we can try to teach you some Haki on the way."

As they walked away, Luffy remembered something and turned to his sister. "Is that what Gramps was trying to teach us when we were little and I fell asleep?"


	81. I'm on a Boat!

Tomorrow on Labor Day, we get to visit Monterray Bay :o Maybe we'll get to see the Aquarium. I love FISH! :D

Another favorite for this story! :o Let's get more!

Anyways, kudos to my reviewers jasje20, Artemis Decibal, and OnePiecefan202  
+ jasje20: Glad you liked it!  
+ Artemis Decibal: I'm glad you like my Luffy :p And the Admirals really need a lot more love on FFN. After this story I do want to play with the Admirals more so maybe :o  
+ OnePiecefan202: Going through the manga again made me realize how big of an asshole Enel was. No idea how I forgot :p

Without further adieu!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 81: I'm on a Boat!**

Pierre snorted in joy as the female marine riding him poured on the compliments but the male pirate's hoots and hollers about how weird it was annoyed the Pegasus. "Sis, isn't it so much faster this way?" Andrea nodded in agreement as she was very happy that the zoan had followed them. She had gently steered Pierre where she felt it with her Haki and was eventually rewarded with the sight of a massive boat.

"You pieces of trash dare to defile my precious Ark with your presence?" the outraged God roared just for Luffy to look at him then his boat with disdain.

"Your ship is gaudy and overaccessorized. It would make my navigator puke if she saw it," Luffy deadpanned and despite Enel's obvious rage which was very tangible to Andrea with her Haki, she could not help but giggle at her younger brother's taunts. "I'll make you regret running away like a wiener to hide in your ugly ship."

"Your lack of respect is irritating, scrawny punk. And the childish giggling from your sister is rather immature for an older woman. You two need to show a God proper respect."

"I'll show a God respect when I see one that deserves it," Andrea fired back to see an annoyed vein in Enel's forehead pulse.

"You're right sis. He doesn't look like a God at all. Look at his stupid, droopy ears and pale complexion. That old man knight obviously is a much better God!" Luffy added with glee as he saw Enel's expression become so frigid that even Aokiji would feel toasty and warm.

"I shouldn't worry about ants like you since there seems to be a bit of commotion elsewhere. It appears those meager citizens are aware of their fate but I wonder where they will run?" Andrea scrunched her brow and attempted to feel out with her Haki but to no avail. She simply did not have the advantage that Enel did with his logia power supplementing his mantra.

"Andy, I don't think the fucktard heard me." Enel's thick brow twitched in annoyance at the young man's gall.

"I suppose he needs to hear it from another person. Must have listened a little much to thunder." Enel's head swung to the female with greater annoyance as her smirk became devious. "You are no God. You are a mere pretender grasping at straws."

Luffy hurled himself up the ark to stand evenly with Enel on the deck while Andrea looked around for a way to scale the ship. She settled for attempting to climb the oars while she heard Enel's attempts to mock her brother. "Just because you are not a simple mortal doesn't mean you are worthy of facing God or defiling his holy ark!" Luffy launched himself towards the cocky, pale devil fruit user who just smirked. "I doubt our devil fruits are in the same class of power but in the end, that matters not. I am God and you will suffer my judgment!" The angered logia launched an attack at Luffy who stopped attacking and stood strong in the face of the attack.

Andrea paused in her oar climbing to watch expectantly. If her theory about Luffy being immune to the attacks was correct, she would not have to interfere with her palm or Armament Haki which even with those advantages, that would not guarantee her a victory anyway. As soon as the smoke and light cleared from the aftermath of the attack, Luffy tilted his head. "That it? Just a flash and light show?"

Enel scowled as he looked at the calm pirate. "I suppose you are better than I expected. I suppose I should up the voltage…" he paused for a few second as he gathered energy. "Now face this Lightning Dragon!"

Yet again, Luffy stood there picking his nose. "Seriously? That didn't even tickle!"

Andrea suppressed a giggle as she almost became level with the deck. She did not want to draw the logia's ire to her or become a liability in this fight. _Is that Enel just putting Luffy surviving his attacks down to dumb luck? Between his mantra and power, there's no way he'd miss at pointblank range…_

Just as Pierre flew behind Andrea as if teasing her for forgetting he could fly, she noticed Enel launch yet another attack at her brother. This time, Luffy was not content with standing still. "Stop that! You're being really annoying!" He had rushed through the attack, without an additional scratch, attempted to punch Enel. Using his mantra, he quickly leapt backwards but the look on his face was priceless. His jaw had completely dropped in shock as Luffy launched himself yet again. "I'm going to shut your stupid looking face!"

Shaking his head quickly, the God composed himself as he braced himself for the assault. _I'm certain this was just a fluke. He'll still pass through me just like any other attack!_

Luffy punched the lightning man in the stomach and he flew backwards, winded by the powerful punch. "My Gramps taught me how to punch like that!" Luffy crowed proudly as he looked at the downed logia.

_Why is he mentioning Gramps at a time like this unless… _Andrea had mounted Pierre to safely watch the fight from above. Luffy still looked slightly confused as he looked at his fist. _He's being even slower than Aokiji in a marathon on a nice day. _"Luffy! You being a rubber man makes you a good, natural foe to Enel but don't get too cocky."

"How the… what the hell are you?!" Enel demanded angrily as he shakily stood up. Luffy stuck out his tongue in annoyance at the whiny, pale man's voice.

"I'm a rubber man. Don't you know what rubber is?" Enel's blank look made a grin appear on Andrea's lips.

"I find it highly ironic that a man who apparently knows what gold is and its properties, judging by his ship, doesn't know what rubber is. I suppose rubber is another substance that isn't present in the sky," she mumbled softly to Pierre who gave a soft cry showing that she was being listened to.

"I'm immune to your attacks so you can't do squat!" Luffy declared as he charged forward with his fist ready.

Enel closed his eyes in an attempt to focus. He moved deftly out of the way of the punch. Luffy moved his hands downwards then tried to thrust his feet forward but again, Enel evaded. The awkward position left the paramecia open to attack which Enel took advantage of as he smacked Luffy with his staff. Knocked off balance, Luffy was smacked again as he was falling to the ground. Before he ever touched the ground, he was smacked up again and ended up pinned to the wall of the ark by the staff. "Your attack pattern is simple and predictable. My mantra made it possible to avoid your fluke attacks." The rubber man sputtered as the staff was digging into his throat. "I am no one-trick pony." Pierre wailed in protest. "Not all my abilities rely on my devil fruit ability. Luffy's eyes grew angry as he gripped the staff and attempted to kick out. "Mediocre attacks like that are pointless against me!" The God looked at Luffy's body curiously. _I wonder exactly what this rubber is…_

"Luffy! He can predict your movements!" Andrea stated just to have Luffy roll his eyes at her.

"Thanks for stating the obvious! You should have painted a bow on him and named me Lucy if you wanted to be anymore damn obvious!" Shaking her head at her brother's overactive imagination, she watched with curiosity as Enel's hand motioned towards his staff. Lightning ran through it as the end which made it into a trident.

"Use your environment!" Andrea advised as she looked at the ark. She knew there was no way to help her brother without directly interfering with the fight which would displease him greatly.

"As you see, my abilities are versatile which is worthy to a God like me!" He strutted towards Luffy with a cocky stride. "Your weakness is your inability to land a blow."

Luffy jumped up onto the gold part of the ark and was surprised when Enel suddenly vanished. Andrea reached out with her Haki and was surprised to feel Enel travel along the ark. "Luffy! Behind you!"

Enel lashed out with his trident which luckily barely brushed Luffy's skin but it had the expected effect of what happens to metal when electricity runs through it. The rubber pirate winced at the heat that was emitted through the trident when Enel put more electricity through it. "You thought you had disabled my powers but I simply can put my electricity through the trident to make it hotter!"

Luffy growled in annoyance as he launched his foot upwards and brought it down sharply. Enel tried to avoid the blow but Luffy held tightly onto the trident and made him take the blow to the head. "Lucky shot, brat!" Luffy growled as he fell down towards Enel thanks to gravity and began to barrage him with punches but yet again, thanks to mantra, Enel avoided getting hit. Evading the initial blows at first, he caught the rubber man's arms and hurled him to the ground. "Being God of course made me see your attacks and such a superior God with the power to create worlds can defeat trash such as yourself."

Andrea got tired of the ego stroking and let herself slip off of Pierre. Enel sensed her moving down towards him and swung his staff towards her. "Shut up, you egotistical bastard!" she roared as she caught the searing hot staff with her right hand. Steam hissed quickly and Enel's eyes widened as she used the strength in her right arm to pull herself close enough to punch the logia with her left hand. The God was pushed back in shock and stared at her hand where the presence of Armament Haki quickly faded as quickly as she enabled it. "Are you ok, Luffy? I'd hate to see the future pirate king put down by a false deity."

"Pirate king?" Enel asked with curiosity as he watched the woman walk to her brother and help him up easily. Her right hand hardly showed the damage that it had dealt to her brother aside from a slightly red, shiny burn that ran through her scar. "What does a pirate king rule?" Enel questioned again in irritation that these mere Blue Seas folk haven't answered him.

"A pirate king rules the seas of course and is the best out of all the pirates," Luffy explained as if lecturing to a child.

"Sounds like a suitable profession that a God might be able to… make a hobby out of," Enel chuckled just for Luffy's eyes to widen in rage.

"I'm going to be the future pirate king and no one else!"


	82. Shocking Scene

Had fun today but a little sun burnt with sore joints :o Nonetheless, I had so much fun at Point Lobos State Reserve. Easily one of the best national parks in California. We saw crabs, deer, mussels, sea lions and a whale!

Anyway a thanks to reviewers OnePiecefan202 and jasje20. *sets out muffins for more reviews*  
+ OnePiecefan202: The insults really was most of the fun for me :o  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 82: Shocking Scene**

The dark thunderclouds that Enel created in response to Luffy worried the female marine greatly. "Luffy… that's a bad sign."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Getting wet in a fight would suck." Andrea facepalmed at her brother's obliviousness and even Enel raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Is he always this stupid?" the God asked with amusement just to be glared at by Andrea.

"You're not allowed to insult my brother," she retorted before glancing cautiously at her brother. "Luffy, defeat him quick. As a logia in his native element, he's more of a danger to others than just us."

The rubber pirate's eyes widened at the implication. "You mean those poor people?" She nodded calmly as he turned towards Enel with his anger reinvigorated. "I'm going to kick your ass!"

The pale man chuckled in amusement. "These people, like you, are at the mercy of God!" Andrea felt the electricity cackle through the ark and knew she had to try something to help. Concentrating on her palm, she attempted to bring the element to her like she did before but all that happened was sparks flying around her. The skin around her palm got heat burns and a few drops of blood hit the deck of the ark. "You are too much an amateur to handle the powers of a God!"

"Oh for the love of an actual God, just shut up!" Luffy sneered as he charged Enel. Out of the corner of her eye, Andrea saw the pale logia evade Luffy's punch but she recognized the distraction tactic. She tried to reach out to the electricity again but this time, the charge travelled through her arm and gave her quite the shock. "You can't take everything from these people due to a stupid title you don't deserve!" She glanced quickly to see that Luffy had attempted to whip his leg around to kick the logia that just jumped over it effortlessly. Turning back to the ark, she focused closely on her scar and felt the oddest sensation pick at her. Using her Haki, she felt around and looked up to see the glowing figure of someone familiar.

The tall man grinned at her as he tipped back his hat with one hand while playing with a bo staff in the other. "You got taller, my sister."

Andrea whimpered slightly in confusion and elation as she reached out with her right hand to touch the glowing hand offered to her. "Sabo…" she stammered and the minute she clasped his hand, her mind felt like it was plummeting into a tunnel with a faint light at the end. All she could feel was that sensation of falling and the tight, reassuring grip of her dead brother. "How?" she asked to no one as she no longer saw or felt the ark yet alone felt the difficulty of breathing that was prevalent among the sky islands.

The blond hair he possessed glowed faintly almost like a halo around him. "I'm always with you, Luffy and Ace. You know that." She smiled as she fell unconscious in his arms.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

A thunderclap startled Sengoku out of his paperwork which puzzled the fleet admiral. He usually was rather unaffected by unusual weather patterns so he was curious why he was bothered. Glancing at his desk, he saw a crack across the glass of a picture. Carefully lifting the frame, he glanced down at the glass and was startled by how the cracks in glass where and how they had completely missed the goat but yet obscured her.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy screamed when he saw his sister collapse and had of course, assumed that Enel was responsible. The logia was confused at the rubber man's sudden rage and was very dismissive of it. "She deserved such a thing for attempting to play God."

Rage filled Luffy like nothing before. He had held her close to him while attempting to search for a pulse but what caught his attention was her scar. It was glowing a vivid, hot white and as suggested by the color, extremely hot to the touch. Looking up, he noticed the thunderclouds created by Enel's ark had been dissipated and frowned. "You shouldn't have done that, sis. This faker isn't worth it all," he shook as a few tears rolled down his eyes before he waved to Pierre to come to him. The bird horse cautiously allowed the rubber man to secure his sister to his back before riding back to his master.

Luffy let a couple more tears escape his eyes before hardening his countenance and glaring at Enel. "I hate you," he declared as he tackled the man. Enel's eyes widened when he was unable to dodge the rubber man's sudden increase in speed. Enel attempted to fill his trident full of electricity to burn the paramecia but his eyes widened at the sudden realization.

_Why can't I use my power?_ His jaw dropped before quickly composing himself and throwing Luffy off him. "I suppose I underestimated how close you were to your sister. But that righteous fury isn't enough to topple a God!" However he shrugged off the setback and simply lashed out with the trident. Luffy's face went blank as he dodged each of the trusts, slashes and stab attempts with ease. "You appear to be attempting to overcome my mantra. Admirable as it's how I dominate most of my opponents and I use it in everyday life as a God! But the only chance you had died with that girl."

"My sister is not dead!" Luffy roared in fury as he started to punch and kick the ark rapidly. Enel rolled his eyes as he assumed Luffy was trying to destroy his holy vessel but was shocked to find out that Luffy was using his rubbery properties as a paramecia to bounce his fists and feet unpredictably to hit him. Because the lightning logia could not use his mantra to predict Luffy's movements and lacked basic geometry skills to apply mantra to and predict where the body parts were flying, he got hit very hard in the face, stomach and chest. "You're a sneaky, foul thing that steals from good people in this world! You don't deserve to be a God!" He ran at the logia, arms behind him in a powerful attack.

"Wait!" Enel protested as he pleaded with the Straw Hat captain. "I can make you my first disciple! People will worship you almost as much as me!"

"Bazooka!" Luffy proclaimed as he slammed his hands quickly before flinging back one fist that he twirled his arm for.

_Must… avoid…_ Enel thought weakly but he was unable to drag himself up off the deck of the ark.

"Rifle!" Luffy hollered as he pushed Enel into the ark. He crashed through the golden wall and coughed up blood as he stared at the pirate.

"You… This can't be! I am God!" He tried to touch the gold in an attempt to use a technique utilizing his electricity but found that he still had no access to his ability. His indignity was only going to multiply however as a rubber sole collided with his face and sent him flying through another wall of the ark.

"What the…?" Sanji stared at the logia that had electrocuted him previously before glancing at the angry Luffy. "Where's Nami or Andrea?" Usopp ran behind the blond as he attempted to catch his breath with the exertion that the cook had put him through in order to rescue the precious navigator who apparently, judging by Luffy's look, was never on the ark to begin with.

"Nami's down there in the ruins," Luffy muttered before his voice quivered. "Andrea… she's hurt bad. We need to get Chopper. He's with Nami, Robin and Zoro." Sanji nodded before ordering Usopp to find a way to get off the floating ship. "Find a way off," Luffy ordered both of them before turning to Enel. "I need to go check for a pulse."


	83. Saved by the Bell

Was totally sore when I woke up today that I could barely move! X_X

Yay for another follow to the story :D

Anyway a thanks to reviewers OnePiecefan202 and jasje20  
+ OnePiecefan202: Good luck at your school but remember to stop by every so often :) It's good to hear from you!  
+ jasje20: Glad you like it :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 83: Saved by the Bell**

Robin panted with the effort she had exerted. With Nami's help, the two Straw Hat women managed to move Chopper, Zoro, Gan Fall, and Wiper up part of the bean stalk out of the open. Aisa kept her mantra searching constantly to make sure no foes were around. Nami's brow had scrunched when they saw the dark thunderclouds and Aisa had confirmed that it was unusual phenomena for the sky islands. Wiper had sighed as he looked at his ancestor's land around him. "I can't believe Enel wanted to destroy my ancestor's home…"

Zoro had stirred as had Gan Fall and they looked around cautiously. "Where's the captain?" Zoro asked the others just for them to motion upwards.

"He took Andrea-san with them and they took off after that coward," Aisa explained. To Gan Fall, she added, "Pierre went with them to speed it up."

The God nodded but Wiper still looked apprehensive. "The Golden Bell… Enel's after it right?" he asked Robin who nodded with a wry smile.

"But our captain is likely to get there too," she reassured the raider. "I'm certain he'll ring the bell."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Despite Sanji and Usopp's protests, Luffy stood on the deck of the ark as he watched it putt through the sky harmlessly until they hit a little cloud. On top of the cloud, he smiled as he saw the Golden Bell. "Andy… I wish you were here to see this," he murmured as he leapt off the ship onto the cloud. Sanji and Usopp followed behind him cautiously and watched their captain brush the vines off the bell. "Isn't it awesome guys?" Luffy commented with excitement.

Usopp started to squeal in agreement but Sanji only chewed on his cigarette apprehensively. "You never said what happened to your sister."

"She'll understand," the rubber pirate murmured softly. "Anyways, since we're here, I want that old man to hear this!" He stretched and began to ring the Golden Bell enthusiastically to his crewmate's smiles.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Pierre descended next to the beanstalk with his cargo secured. Robin used her powers to untie the unconscious Andrea from his back and brought her to the ground quickly. Nami ran over with a canteen of water and they began to fuss over her when they heard a beautiful sound. "Is that the bell ringing?" Wiper asked softly as he heard the soft ringing.

"That young man really did it!" Gan Fall sobbed in happiness at the sound and his companion returning safely.

Even Chopper stirred from his injury induced sleep and heard it. "That bell is so pretty sounding… Ack! What happened to all of you?! You need a doctor! What happened to me? I need a doctor!"

"You are the doctor," Zoro teased as he handed some bandages to the startled reindeer. "Help Andrea first. She's unconscious."

Chopper nodded and went over to her to check her vitals. He was startled at the vibrant white of her right palm's scar but something else overrode that observation. "She has no pulse…"

This silenced the jubilance that was in the air as they watched her cautiously. The brightness of her palm became even brighter before an explosion of electricity shot out of her palm and shot up into the air. The force of the energy forced the marine's body upwards and she sat up in surprise. She stared into everyone's eyes as they watched her cautiously. "Why are you all looking at me like this? Where's my brother?"

Aisa simply pointed upwards. "Luffy is there still with two of his pirates. The voice of Enel is gone however." Andrea smiled softly and looked down at her palm. "His voice had ceased when your palm exploded with that electricity."

She nodded in understanding and stood up to Chopper's alarm. She gently patted the tanuki on the head before looking upwards. "My brother really did it… He rang that bell." The giant snake everyone had assumed to have died from Enel's prior assault was happily dancing around to the sound of music.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The south birds on the island called out with joy as the song that had been most desired rang out. Even Cricket could not restrain his smile as his friends looked up at the sky longingly. "This sound is a truly romantic thing," he murmured as a few stray tears fell from his eyes. "This proves my ancestor really wasn't a liar." They looked upwards to see a giant, familiar shadow above them. "Those giants we saw must have been the shadows of people living up there. Thanks for telling us kid that the golden city is up there!" he yelled up to the sky where they saw the shadow of Luffy. "I'm glad they are alive," he admitted to the monkey looking brothers who grinned back.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy chuckled as he forced his crewmates to load the bell up on the ugly ark. "Luffy, Nami really will like all this gold!"

The rubbery pirate smacked the sniper for his inconsideration. "No you idiot! We're bringing it to those people. Maybe then they'll stop attacking and we can take other golden thingies!"

Sanji shook his head as he looked around the ark. "So… how do we steer this back down?"

"We don't! We can't run it. Only he can," Luffy pointed to the logia in the rubble. "And he has no pulse!" he unnecessarily added as the two men sweatdropped at him. "Anyway, I got a plan."

He gave his two crewmates no warning before he jumped up and punched the front of the flying boat downwards.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Stop fussing over me, Chopper-kun!" Andrea protested as she tried to escape the antsy animal. "I swear I'm fine!"

"Your heart had stopped," the zoan wailed as he sat on his butt to pout at the marine. "I was so scared you had died! And your condition was already scary to begin with so I thought something bad happened and…"

Smiling softly, Andrea embraced the thoughtful doctor. "Silly. I was just talking to my brother."

Robin skeptically raised a thin eyebrow. "But Captain-san is up there still."

"Not really," Aisa added as her eyes widened. "The three voices up there are falling downwards really, really fast!"

"What?" the marine scrunched her brow as she felt out with her Haki. Her gasp confirmed to the others that Aisa was indeed right. "Everyone, hide in the ruins. I have a feeling my brother did something really stupid."

"But he rang the bell," the old sky knight pointed out just to be met with a chuckle.

"I didn't say he wasn't considerate or thoughtful," she fired back to see a twinkle in his eye. "Just stupid."


	84. Ghosts of the Past

Woke up with still those sore muscles! But woot another follow/favorite ^_^

Anyway a thanks to reviewers 18KmPerHour and jasje20  
+ 18KmPerHour: Glad to see you back from your travels :) Welcome back and I'm happy the prior chapters pleased you!  
+ jasje20: Nice to see you liked the chapter :D

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter and I love to hear feedback

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 84: Ghosts of the Past**

Sure enough, the ark had crashed down into a clearing within the ruins. Luckily the bell and the crewmates did not suffer any additional damage but Luffy did suffer quite a bit of auditory damage courtesy of his navigator. "You idiot! You could have damaged the gold on this ship. How are we going to get it off anyway? There's no way we can sell it like this!"

Luffy however did not notice his fuming crewmate as he simply walked past her angry expression which she dropped when she saw his worried face. He bee lined to his sister and stood in front of her. She was reclining rather peacefully as she had been staring at her scar while waiting for him to crash back to the island. "Nice to see you again, lil brother."

Sobbing, he flopped onto her as he held her tightly in his arms. "I was so scared, Andy! Don't do that ever again even if it made the fight easier, it wasn't worth the worry." His crew shuffled uncomfortably around them and decided to unload the Golden Bell out for the Shandians rather than sit and witness the moment. "What would I do if I lost more family?" he cried into Andrea's shoulder as she tightened her hold on her brother.

"Speaking of which, I saw Sabo. He misses both you and Ace." This however had the effect of instead of calming the rubber man, it only made him cry harder into his sister's arms.

"You really did die! Gramps would have killed me and Ace would have killed me and…" The marine hushed her whimpering brother by humming softly and cradling him before lifting up his chin to look into his eyes.

"You're a strong pirate. Now go and give them their bell. We'll deal with this another time ok?" Luffy gave her a stubborn look. "I'm not a zombie I promise Luffy-kun." His lips had an optimistic upturn before he nodded and went over to chat with Wiper. Free of her brother's sorrows, she had sensed a presence she attempted to slip past but a sneaky hoof had a hold of her wrist.

"Not so fast, Andrea-san!" Chopper barked in an authoritative manner that made the marine flash back to her grandfather, the admirals and even the fleet admiral. "I checked over everyone and I demand to give you another inspection." When the marine started to back away, arms burst out of the nearby ruins to restrain her. "I asked Robin to help as you are very evasive!"

Grumbling, the stubborn woman had to submit to the reindeer's pokes and prodding. She really did not mind as she felt the Shandians gather around Wiper and Aisa with joy as they took in the sight of their native homeland. She heard Nami and Usopp banter with each other on the best way to remove the gaudy gold from Enel's flying ark while Zoro took the time to nap. Sanji started flirting with Conis who had arrived with supplies as she had thought the fight was going to continue longer than it really had. What surprised her was the sky knight who walked up to her accompanied by Pierre. "I realized why you are familiar," he informed her but her heart froze.

Chopper had become worried until she shooed him away. "Just for a moment, my sweet reindeer. I need to have a word with the kind sky knight." At first he was going to protest before she kissed his furry forehead. Blushing through his fur, he dashed off a little overenthusiastically to the Shandians to look at Wiper's arm yet again. Turning towards the former God, Andrea gave a small smile. "I suppose I have a guess as to what you're referring to."

He gave a wry chuckle before glancing back to Luffy. "The odd thing is that he looks more like _his_ child than you do. No offense," he added quickly when he saw the smirk on Andrea's face.

"Oh none taken. You should see my twin," she giggled before sighing softly. "It's nice to know that my father had been to so many extraordinary places. I'm glad Luffy dragged me along for his."

"I sense there is more to this thankfulness than you are revealing," a feminine voice spoke and Andrea scowled as Robin sauntered her way into the conversation.

"I managed to commune with my dead sibling and find out a bit more about myself," the marine admitted as she stared at her palm. "What do you know about ghosts, Nico Robin?"

* * *

-Flashback-

* * *

Andrea stared at the hand holding hers as Sabo gave her a wide smile. The darkness surrounded them and she felt nothing with her Haki before he flicked her forehead. "You're overthinking here. Don't be stupid," he scolded her before tugging her along in the dark again. "Which reminds me, why did you do that?"

"Huh?" Andrea stared at where Sabo had taken her. They were floating above a familiar island. Foosha Village was visible below them with the various residents bustling around. Leading her away, he took her to a place that always made her heart heavy: his gravestone. "Why are we here, Sabo?"

"Your heart is hurting and you are second guessing everything," he explained before taking her right hand and raising the palm up. "When you gave your promise, I wanted so badly to go with you. I had been bound to my grave by that Seastone and the strength of my own convictions but I cannot act on them being dead. You being there, so worried about our family made me decide that you being alive and taking care of them was more important so this way, I could accompany you." He tapped the scar with his finger for emphasis. "I don't even know how this works but whatever you have been doing on these sky islands appear to be working the best. So just keep doing that but no trying to take away all of a person's devil fruit powers! Do you realize if it wasn't for the fact he was a lightning logia, you really would have died? Your heart stopped, idiot!"

Andrea hung her head in shame. "I just… I was so scared of what that false God would have done to Luffy. You should have seen him, Sabo." She could not help the small smile that crawled on her face. "He's gotten so strong!"

"In a way, I have seen him. Watch over him since I can't." She looked up in confusion and he simply nodded as he pushed her back over the cliff near his grave. This was when she snapped awake.

* * *

-End Flashback-

* * *

"Marine-san?" Robin started waving some hands at the wistful, day dreaming marine before shrugging and giving a good wake-up slap.

"The fuck?" Andrea shrieked as she was knocked over by the force. Robin stifled a giggle behind her hand as she gave a serene smile.


	85. Tone it Down a Dial

Applied to a job at a chiropractic office. I hope I get it especially for $12 an hour and free chiropractic servies!

A thank you to reviewer to 18KmPerHour! *sets out a baked potato for more reviews*  
+ 18KmPerHour: Hehe I'll talk a little about those two in the following chapter

I cannot wait to see how you all like this next chapter

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 85: Tone it Down a Dial**

Andrea grumbled as she walked through the streets of Angel Island. People constantly pointed and swooned at being in her presence which was not only utterly annoying to the marine but a hindrance to what she was trying to do. Anytime she opened her mouth to inquire as to where she could purchase dials, the various people ran up to her with Tone and Vision dials to collect memoirs and souvenirs of one of the people who led to Enel's downfall. To add to her grumpiness was the fact that there was a faint handprint on her face from Robin's slap. The young Shandian, Aisa, was walking next to her and chuckled at Andrea's frustration. "The burden of being famous in Skypiea?"

The marine grunted as her right palm twitched in annoyance at some of the amorous looks of young Skypiean men. "Why couldn't Luffy just take all the credit for defeating Enel?"

Aisa chuckled as she tugged her hand towards a shop. "Because he wanted to give you credit where it was due. Besides if he didn't speak up, Wiper would have." Andrea gave an unladylike snort as they entered the dial shop.

"Welcome! How may I…" The salesperson halted their spiel when they saw who walked through the door. "Andrea-sama! How may my humble shop be of assistance?"

Huffing slightly, Andrea sighed as she eyed the merchandise on the wall. "You know how we have no dials down in the Blue Sea?" The shop seller nodded with enthusiasm as her eyes glimmered at the possibility of a celebrity endorsement. "Show me what is essential in everyday life as well as fighting. We'll work out a price or payment."

"Oh no Andrea-sama!" The raven haired marine rolled her eyes at the title before remained silent. "It would be an honor," an eyebrow twitch from the marine made Aisa giggle. "Just make sure to tell everyone where you got your goods!" The marine sweat dropped from the shopkeeper's enthusiasm as she sauntered through the store to pick out some dials.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Wiper woke up from the anesthetic that Chopper had dosed him with to see a bonfire being built. He glanced around cautiously and was pleased to note that they were still in Shandora. "What's going on?" he inquired to no one in particular.

"We're having a party," a voice cheerily stated behind him. Wiper turned to see Straw Hat Luffy hauling a few logs. The raider leader stood up to help take some logs from the pirate who only grunted and scooted out of the way. "No! Leave my wood alone!"

Wiper coughed as the various Skypieans, Shandians and the other Straw Hat crewmates shot them odd looks. "Why are we having a party?" he cautiously asked while keeping a safe distance from the rubbery captain.

"Why wouldn't we have a party?" Luffy shot back with an amused glimmer in his eyes as he tossed the logs in his arms into the bonfire. The flames happily soared higher with the additional fuel. "We kicked ass, you got your homes back, and that jerk of a God is gone."

Humming in understanding, Wiper looked around to see his various people bringing food supplies from their homes to prepare for a feast. The Skypieans were also bringing things from their island and for the first time in his life, everyone looked peaceful with conflict not in sight. "To think our people are so happy," an additional voice added. Turning around, he saw Gan Fall without his armor walking towards the bonfire with pride in his eyes. He was shaking hands with the various people who came up to them and he looked at peace.

"Former God, Gan Fall." The former sky knight chuckled at the polite address while shrugging.

"These people want me to be God again but I don't know." At Wiper's widened eyes, he clarified, "Your people and I did not exactly see eye to eye."

"But that's different now," a small, childish voice added. The three men looked up to see Aisa pulling along Andrea. The marine had a sack flung over her shoulder that clinked with the various dials she had purchased. "We're all getting along now!"

"Andy!" Luffy attempted to jump on his sister to hug her but she evaded him before flicking his forehead. "Meanie!"

"You could have hurt my purchases," she replied as she held the bag out in front. "I'm going to put these with my stuff and try to call on the Den Den Mushi."

"Sis… we haven't been able to contact anyone. You know that." Andrea bit her lip as she glumly looked down.

"I'd rather say I tried then not." Luffy felt bad seeing the saddened look on her face but before he could reach out to her, she slipped out of his grasp.

"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen." She stalked off to the Going Merry in a mood no better than earlier. Although this time she actually acknowledged the people who went up to her, her heart only felt heavier and heavier. Going to where her stuff was stored, she stored her dials carefully so no one could attempt to take any. That was the reason she had gone out of her way so that none of her brother's crewmates had accompanied her to Lovely Street when she went to find dials.

"Marine-san?" she heard an elegant voice call out before she could reach for the Den Den Mushi. Frowning, she looked at the slender figure in the doorway.

"What do you want, Robin?" Andrea took her hand off the snail and lightly touched her own face. "I'd like to not get slapped for any reason."

"There was a reason," Robin replied dismissively. "But that's not the point of this discussion." Andrea raised a skeptical eyebrow but motioned for the Devil of Ohara to continue. "Were you aware that your father not only was here but understands the language of poneglyphs?"

"I had gathered that my father was here from speaking with Gan Fall before you rudely interrupted us. This, may I add, led to a slap from you. But why would my father knowing about poneglyphs be anything special?"

Robin saw red at the marine's careless words. "In case you forgot, my people were killed over that knowledge. Also many refugees were killed in the crossfire. Thanks to your superior officer may I add." The archeologist's voice had taken on a cold, hard tone as had her eyes.

"Because you are a wanted criminal," Andrea murmured softly but she could not find it in her to be vehement at that moment. "The knowledge you possess is forbidden by the government for good reason. While I don't agree with Akainu's methods… Don't give me that look!" she snapped at the archeologist who gave the marine an odd look. "He did have the World Government's best interest in mind. If that knowledge is forbidden, it likely is for good reason. I'm guessing whatever you read from the bell was about an ancient weapon?"

Robin's eyes widened as she nodded. "Can you read poneglyphs too?"

For the first time that day, Andrea giggled with good humor. "How? My father was in the grave when I was born so how would he have taught me? Who could teach me in all honesty? Gramps would be dead for knowing that knowledge and everyone else on that island I grew up in were just civilians. It would be funny to see the admirals' reaction if I did have that ability."

Laughing softly behind her palm, Robin's eyes sparkled with amusement. "It is so odd to see you sympathetic to my plight, Andrea-san. Have you already got into the alcohol for the party?"

Andrea scrunched her brow with disdain. "They don't have any sake around and that's all I would drink. And I am not sympathetic to your plight. That knowledge has been forbidden for a long time. I just realize that you didn't have an ideal childhood."

"Agree to disagree?" Robin asked as she raised her hand to shake the marine's. Andrea eyed it skeptically before walking past the skimpily dressed pirate but Robin's hand gripped her arm, halting her.

"I'll still turn you in if I get the chance." Robin's eyes dropped sadly at the marine's admission. "I'd kill you myself if I could get away with it or even accomplish it." Now Robin was slightly perplexed at Andrea implying that she was still weaker but she did not let anything show on her face. "But I can't do anything now. Let's just go to that party before Luffy freaks out." Robin nodded cautiously when Andrea strode off the ship towards the bonfire.

Luffy had waved at them with enthusiasm before pulling his sister in a hug. "Sis, we got a plan but you have to be the distraction since you aren't a pirate."

"Cooperating with pirates; how low my life has become!" Andrea playfully bemoaned her situation just to have Luffy stick his tongue out. "Let me guess… trying to take that treasure out of the snake's stomach?"

Luffy whistled while looking shiftily away. "Well they don't use gold anyway!"

"They have a present they wish to give us, Captain-san." Luffy's eyes swung to Robin's face with glee as he noticed her amusement.

"You're really good at getting more! Thanks Robin," Luffy hugged the archeologist with great amusement and howled in joy as he went to find Nami to tell her the good news.

"A present?" Andrea inquired just to be met by a wide smirk.

"Let's just say that Navigator-san will be able to bathe in all the Beri and even swim."


	86. Desires

This chapter felt easier to write considering what's coming next :o

Thanks to reviewers to dark-driex-07, Artemis Decibal, 18KmPerHour, and jasje20 :)  
+ dark-driex-07: I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather and I wish you luck with your job search :) If you want to review on the chapters you missed, no qualms here but do as you wish :p Hehe and yes Andrea bought quite a few dials. Anyway, welcome back :D  
+ Artemis Decibal: If Robin & Andrea had more in common with abilities/goals, I'd call them rivals xD But we will soon see Akainu again and yes they are stuck in that awkward 'flirting/obviously liking each other what do we do' phase. I hope you enjoy what's next :p  
+ 18KmPerHour: Your review reminded me of a story where when Nami has sex on top of a load of Beri, she is able to count out all of it even while being occupied xD  
+ jasje20: Glad you like it :)

Dun dun dun! Onto it!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 86: Desires**

"I want to buy a statue!" Luffy demanded as he sat on a piece of a giant, golden pillar that they managed to cut into more manageable pieces. "I would be really awesome and scare people away too."

"Why not a cannon?" reasoned Usopp who looked at all the gold enviously. "We could protect the ship quite well."

"For a ship about to fall apart?" sneered Sanji as he took a drag on his cigarette. "Nami-swaaaan, may I have a lock on the fridge to protect our food from the idiot captain?"

Nami gave a polite smile to the chef as she contemplated her crewmates' purchase ideas. She soon felt a tugging on her Capri pants' leg. "I wanna buy something too!" Chopper squealed in glee. "Like medical books and supplies." The reindeer's eyes were alight with hope as he figured his request was reasonable.

"I don't give a damn. I just want some rum," Zoro commented as he rolled his eyes at the other ridiculous requests of his crewmates.

As Nami attempted to scold her partying crewmates, Robin turned to Andrea with a smile. "Why aren't you tossing out suggestions?"

"Why? I'm a marine who is going to return to her superiors as soon as I can." The minute the words left Andrea's lips, Luffy's jaw dropped and he tackled his sister.

"No! I'll only accept you leaving if someone stronger than me retrieves you," the rubber pirate pouted as he held tightly onto his sister.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji woke up from his nap, looked around, and sneezed. The grass in front of him froze and he flicked the icy turf with curiosity. "When is Andrea getting here? I'm bored." He faced another direction and promptly fell back asleep.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy groaned as he stared at Cloud's End. "Luffy-kun, stop that attitude. You knew I couldn't be with your crew forever anyway."

The rubber man's lip shook childishly as he looked at his older sister. "You don't want to hang out with me! You're so mean and would rather hang out with Gramps than me." Andrea rolled her eyes at Luffy's childish attitude. "See! Why else would you want to be a marine?"

"Dreams take us odd places," she mused reminiscently as she looked down at her palm. "Funny thing is that I had given up then was forced to a life I didn't think I had a shot at." She chuckled at the confused look on her brother before ruffling his hair. She turned to the navigator who was waving to the residents of the sky islands who decided to accompany them to the exit. "Nami-san, how does the log pose look?"

She smiled as he held her wrist up. "We locked onto the next island for sure."

"Back to the Blue Seas for our adventures," Luffy smiled sadly as he glanced at his sister's expression. She was very anxious to leave the sky islands and had abhorred the attention everyone was giving her.

"Brace yourselves everyone," Andrea called out as she tied herself to the ship's mast. "Remember how we got up here?" The crew nodded with only the women understanding what point Andrea was getting at. "Well… we got to go the other way now."

Just as Luffy was about to open his mouth, the ship flew off the White Sea and dropped sharply downwards. The marine winced as she felt a sound that preceded a massive octopus surrounding their ship. Feeling with Haki, she sensed that Conis was responsible for calling the creature and mentally sent her thanks. The balloon octopus wrapped around the Going Merry while keeping its main body upwards and allowing the ship to float down at a safe pace. "This is so cool!" Luffy shouted but just after his gleeful words, they could hear a faint ringing sound. The crew felt heartened by the sound and Luffy grinned at everyone. Even his sister that he knew would depart company with them as soon as she can felt the warmth of his joy. "I'm so happy how things turned out here."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Cricket grinned happily at his friends as he held a story book close to his heart. It was the one telling the tale of his ancestor. He could faintly hear the sound of a bell again and his smile became even warmer. "What shall our next dream be?" he pondered to the joy of his friends.

-Meanwhile-

The tall, lanky blond man was very displeased. He polished his dark glasses before putting it on again and glaring at the bulky, irritating blond in front of him. "You disgraced me, Bellamy. My sign has been utterly shame by you and that crew of yours. And all over what? Some pirates who were merely day dreaming?"

"There was a marine too," Sarkies sputtered fearfully in an attempt to spare his captain pain. "This marine fought well them but she seemed a bit off."

"Why is a Shichibukai here?" random people shouted as they started to flee the scene. The flamboyantly dressed blond shrugged at the non-important people leaving.

Twitching his hand slightly, he smirked widely. "While that gem of information concerning a marine is quite enlightening, I don't need mere street punks hindering my reputation." Sarkies was unable to control his body and lunged at his captain with a knife. Wincing in pain, the bulky blond took the pain with as much pride as he could muster.

"Just one more chance please!" The various crewmates gathered around were shocked to see Bellamy begging so humbly and fearfully for his life. The blond Shichibukai scratched his head contemplatively while looking at the scruffy, still beat up man. "I swear I never intended to bring you disgrace. I was hoping by fighting them, that they would avoid agitating you."

"Oh?" Doflamingo chuckled as he petted Bellamy's head similar to how one would stroke an animal's fur. "So considerate of you, my loyal follower." He sauntered away with a wide grin on his face. "I suppose to repay this favor you did me, I could allow you to decide your fate but…" His hand flicked as he allowed his devil fruit power to activate. "You are useless at my side." The various pirates around them were astonished how easily the Shichibukai demolished their captain. Walking away, he sent a cold glare to the pirates around him. "There is a new age for piracy approaching and weaklings have no place in this era."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

*SLAM!*

The Going Merry hit the water hard. The displaced water swished around the boat and some even came onto the deck. Luffy and Chopper backed away cautiously and the balloon octopus that helped them on their journey landed on top of Luffy's head. "Thanks buddy!" he told the octopus who merely looked at the crew in curiosity.

"How the hell did that thing shrink?" Zoro muttered as he rubbed his head which had come in contact with the deck when the ship hit the water.

"I could cook it I suppose," Sanji murmured calmly just to have Luffy shriek at him.

"I won't let you cook our buddy who saved us," the rubber man proclaimed as he protectively hugged the octopus.

Intervening to stop an impending fight, Robin smiled serenely as she placed a calming hand on both of the men. "Doesn't it feel like we woke up from a dream?"

While Sanji swooned at the attention from the slender female, Luffy only nodded at her statement. Nami herself smiled as she glanced upwards. Chopper spoke up the thought on everyone's mind however. "I wonder if we'll ever get to go back."

"Hopefully a safer way," Andrea added as she glanced at her scar. While it was still standing out from her normal flesh, it did not look irritated in the slightest.

Zoro chortled around some rum. "I wonder if you end up there when you die." Robin, Luffy and the swordsman himself caught the way that Andrea's eyes froze and her posture stiffen.

Even Usopp was affected by the awkwardness as he attempted to lighten the mood. "I doubt we'd go to heaven anyway, Zoro." Laughter all around proved the liar's attempts were a success. Turning to his captain, he tried to give a winning smile. "Anyways, Luffy give us a break from all this adventure."

Nami laughed to everyone's surprise as she grabbed rope. "You really think you can rest in the Grand Line? If that wasn't the case, no one would be scared." She tossed some rope to Sanji who had lit up at the chance of pleasing the navigator. "Prepare yourselves!" she called out to the crew.

Luffy snorted skeptically as he peered at the ocean around them. Out of nowhere, a huge tidal wave complete with sea kings was heading their way.

-Meanwhile-

Aokiji woke up annoyed. There was loud noise nearby that was interrupting his nap. Before he could find another comfortable spot to doze, his Den Den Mushi called out to him. Picking up the snail with interest, he was amused to hear a familiar voice. "Out of the sky islands. Ready for extraction." The snail's then fell asleep as it was hung up. Smirking, the admiral decided to place a conference call to the other admirals. The greetings he received amused him greatly.

"When the fuck are those pirates getting there? I doubt the fleet admiral would be pleased to see that our charge could have died or defeated," growled Akainu.

"Oh relax," Kizaru's lax voice sounded. "I know you're pacing behind your desk waiting for her to get back to you." A growl sounded from the snail which was responded to by the other admirals' laughter. "Anyway, I'll start heading to Aokiji now to assist in transporting her back to Marineford."

"And I'm stuck here," scowled the magma logia who stared at the two bonsai on his desk. They now resembled each other although one of them had burn marks on the pot that housed it. "I'll prepare a training regiment for her and test to see if her abilities have improved."

"Showing you're human isn't a bad thing," Aokiji scolded as he yawned. "There is some ruckus here but I don't think she's nearby otherwise she would have established contact immediately."

"Why immediately?" Akainu inquired quickly which led to a snicker from Kizaru. "What's so damn funny?"

"I'm just saying maybe Andrea-san will want to get back to her life as a marine," Aokiji coolly stated as he smirked. "Although it has been years since I saw her face to face. Talking with Den Den Mushi doesn't help one maintain a friendship."

"No need to be jealous of mere friendship," Kizaru chuckled as the silence from his friend confirmed his suspicions. "She'll be at your side training soon enough while the rest of us have boring missions. As in really boring missions."

"Those missions aren't assigned lightly," Akainu scolded with a furrowed brow. "We need to take our duties seriously."

"Any more serious and the stick up your ass will be growing out your nose," Aokiji retorted with boredom. "Anyway, I'm going to explore this island. I have a feeling it is where she will end up."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea sauntered out of the cabin cautiously. Smiling softly, she did not think anyone would notice her sneak off to the Den Den Mushi while the massive tidal wave wracked the ship. She saw Usopp drag Luffy out of the water with Chopper in a panic. "Someone get him a doctor!"

"That's you, silly." She petted the reindeer with amusement as he rushed to give Luffy a once over.

Usopp and Sanji looked at Nami who was riding around in the water with her waver. "No matter the sea…" Usopp muttered jealously as he watched the wind flow through the navigator's hair.

Nami came onto the ship happily and hugged Usopp. "If you can figure out how to use these dials to make our things even better, I'll be soooooo happy!" Despite him not being the target of Nami's advantageous flirting, he did blush slightly at her praise. After earning a shaky smile from the sniper, she turned to the crew. "Now to distribute the loot!"


	87. Such a Long Time

I feel so excited for this chapter not for what's at the end but what will soon come! :D

Thanks go to my reviewers jasje20, 18KmPerHour, OnePiecefan202, and Artemis Decibal!  
+ jasje20: I'm glad you enjoyed it  
+ 18KmPerHour: Yuppers and tme for more adventures!  
+ OnePiecefan202: Even if it's just weekends, glad to see you back :D  
+ Artemis Decibal: Aokiji's laziness I always found so amusing

Wheeeeeeeeee!~ Onto the story!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 87: ****Such a Long Time**

"Statue!" Nami's eyes rolled with amusement at her captain's insistence. "Statue! Come on, Nami. It'll look so badass!"

"What about medical books and supplies?" Chopper wailed as he tugged on Luffy's arm while giving sparkling eyes towards Nami.

Sanji was already composing a list of what he wanted. "That pad-locked fridge I need, mousetraps, silverware, pots, pans…"

"Rum!" Zoro shouted enthusiastically.

"Well… first I think I should get a share of all this," Nami waved her hands over the various gold, coins, pieces of the golden pillar, and jewels. "Around 80% sounds like a sufficient share." The whole crew, even Sanji, objected at the navigator who just giggled. "I was joking!"

"Well we should share equally," Luffy reasoned but then he realized something. "But we should fix the Merry first."

"That's a good point, Luffy-kun." The rubber pirate beamed at the praise from his sister. "Priorities should be assessed of course however. There might be money left over for a little statue but I have no say here." At the puzzled look from her brother, she sighed. "I'm not in your crew remember? Yet I have to admit Nami has likely the best money management and bartering skills."

"I can't dispute that logic," Nami smoothly said as she smiled widely at Andrea. "I do admit that fixing the Going Merry is definitely a priority." Usopp sadly nodded in agreement. "Even Usopp admits that the ship is barely afloat." The sniper winced at the bluntness of the navigator but yet again nodded.

"Let's super upgrade Merry!" Luffy demanded which the crew all chuckled about.

"I suppose we should we how much that will be before dividing up the treasure." Nami decided as she eyed the treasure lovingly.

"Yeah let's get this boat fixed. Usopp can't always keep fixing it and his skills aren't that great anyway," Zoro murmured around a rice ball he was eating.

"I'm a sniper! Not a repairman," Usopp retorted as he reached for a rice ball.

Sanji strolled to his crewmates with a tray of sandwiches in one hand. "If we find a shipyard we could actually get a professional to look over the ship."

Chopper's eyes glowed in surprise. "People can fix things better than Usopp?"

Usopp was about to preen with the praise when realization struck him. "We haven't had the ship looked over for major repairs since we took it so it likely will need a professional now."

Luffy stood up dramatically with a rice ball in one hand and a sandwich in the other. "I've decided. We need a ship repairer as our next crewmate!"

Andrea raised an eyebrow at her brother. "I thought you would have collected and planned for more useful crewmates of different abilities by now considering where you are."

"Well we didn't need one," Luffy reasoned which made Andrea faceplant onto the dining table. "But to continue we do need one! Remember Andy, I'm new at this. But I know that Merry is our home and lifeline so we need someone to love her and take care of her just like us! But they need to be able to fix the ship if something happens."

"Wow…" Sanji murmured in shock as his cigarette hung limply from his lips.

Robin and Andrea nodded approvingly as Luffy stuffed the sandwich into his mouth quickly followed by a rice ball. Zoro chuckled at the looks the crew was giving their captain. "Indeed our captain is capable of being intelligent once in a while."

"I do this more than once in a while," Luffy protested as the sandwich he was about to reach for was swiped by Andrea. After shooting a pout at his sister who smirked triumphantly, he addressed his crew again. "And our next crewmate must be a musician since Andy is apparently insistent on me planning ahead."

The crew sighed at their captain's antics. "We all wished you would plan ahead," they murmured softly but he did not hear them over the sound of himself eating.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji stared at the wanted poster in his hand with amusement. "So Andrea-san's little brother… are you still troublesome like how you were before?"

He had checked over his bike and even scouted the rather loud band of pirates who had decided to mess around on the island but slumped back down on the ground to think. He had no time to defeat the pirates as retrieving his charge was infinitely more important than some odd looking pirates. Especially the captain of those pirates. The voice grated on Aokiji's nerves greatly but he merely thought of his priorities and sighed.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Garp stared at the bulky admiral in his office. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to let you know we heard from Aokiji. Your granddaughter should be back in marine custody soon." Garp laughed to the logia's puzzlement.

"Of course she'll be back. Luffy can't hold her back forever that even if one of you young idiots didn't chase after, she would have figured something out." Garp scratched his ear in boredom. "So… what do you want?"

"You assume I have a motive when I thought it only proper to inform you about family?" Akainu replied in what he passed off as a polite tone but to Garp, it sounded like the admiral was chewing through iron to not berate him.

"Oh I'll never cease to question your motivations. Especially if you do become involved officially with her." He adopted a harsh look suddenly. "We D's aren't to be trifled with lightly."

* * *

-Next Day-

* * *

Andrea groaned as Luffy dragged her out of the cabin where she had been tinkering with the various dials she had obtained. "Sis! Chase away those damn sea monkeys from yesterday with your hand."

Groaning, she obliged while glaring at her brother the whole time. "I'd like to think I'm more than bloody monster warder-offer," she grumbled to Luffy's amusement.

"Emergency!" Usopp shrieked from the crow's next. Andrea merely raised a confused eyebrow. "There's a ship ahead of us but no flag or sail!"

Luffy scrunched his face in confusion. "How can they be on the sea without any of that?"

"The sailors look strange," Usopp confirmed with confusion evident in his voice. Andrea closed her eyes to focus before nodding ominously. "They look disheartened and even dead spiritually."

"I can feel it," Andrea murmured softly as she shivered. "It's so thick in the air that I even feel a smidge depressed now."

Luffy tilted his head. "So can we help them?" His sister shot him an annoyed look while Nami shook her head quickly but Luffy ignored the women and started shouting to the other ship. "You guys should watch out for those sea monkey things!"

The depressed pirates suddenly livened up. "Let's rob their ship of the treasures and take their women for ourselves!"

Andrea snorted in disgust as she drew herself up to full height and for added effect, put on her marine coat. "Fuck you all! Such an undisciplined crew isn't worthy of being brought to justice."

Luffy shrugged while Sanji scoffed in agreement. "They wanted to rob us so just ignore the shitty idiots." They watched the sea monkeys kick up a tidal wave to envelop the incompetent ship then were puzzled by the calm weather.

"We must be getting close to an island," Nami commented offhandedly. "The humidity and temperature are also stabilizing." Andrea smirked as she looked towards the island and felt out with her Haki.

"There appears to be a bit of fog," Robin offhandedly said from the crow's nest.

"That could be dangerous," Nami said as she looked at the crew before pointing at Chopper. "Watch the front." The reindeer nodded while Andrea shrugged easily.

"I don't sense anything in the way but who knows," the marine murmured as she relaxed on the deck of the ship in her coat.

"Didn't the crew we came across seem odd to you?" Everyone nodded as the sniper continued his assessment. "No captain. Obviously no navigator. No flag or sail. Such lack of discipline and good attitude doesn't seem the right attitude for a captain."

"Their captain might have died I suppose," Zoro added helpfully. "They might have gotten into a fight with how they looked."

"Doesn't look like a battle," Andrea mused with a giggle. "Or at least any battle I've participated on a ship. I'm kind of a messy fighter though," she bashfully admitted which only raised Luffy's curiosity.

"Maybe those loser pirates weren't pirates at all," Sanji pointed out.

"My instinct says they were pirates though." Usopp scrunched his brow in deep thought. "Why else would they attempt to rob us?"

"I don't care about them," Luffy declared as he flung himself across the ship to the crow's nest. "I just want us to visit a shipyard soon. I hope the next island has one."

"Luffy! No leaving before everyone else is ready," Nami shouted to her enthusiastic captain.

"Anchor the ship. We're close enough," Luffy declared with excitement as they stared at the island. There was an empty plain dotted by very tall trees. "It's so empty!"

"It's just a shitty plain," Sanji scowled around his cigarette. "Nothing to see here."

"Marine-san, is this island inhabited?" Robin asked Andrea who closed her eyes briefly.

"I feel people around if that's what you're wondering." Luffy took his sister's words with great joy and attempted to fling himself onto the island before Nami held onto him to stop him.

"Nami let him go. Such an empty place shouldn't present danger," Zoro muttered in annoyance.

They docked the ship and cautiously walked around the island. Andrea had a pleased grin on her face she would not explain and outright giggled at the long, stretched out bear that walked in front of them. Luffy even reached up one of the long trees and pulled out an elongated apple. "This is yummy!" the pirate captain declared joyfully to Usopp's worry.

"Relax Usopp. My brother apparently is lucky when it comes to apples," Andrea commented with a chuckle. She could not help but feel in a good mood.

"Is that a house?" Usopp pondered as he pointed off into the distance. The crew shrugged and followed the inquisitive sniper. Along the way, a myriad of stretched animals including a moose, bird, and even a dog.

"I'm surprised the house isn't long," Robin giggled as she placed a hand on the building's wall. Luffy burst in and began to shout when Andrea dragged him out to scold.

"You can't just enter houses without permission," she growled in an appalled tone. "You'd swear that you never learned manner! Ace was a right ass growing up and he developed them so why can't you?" She stopped in front of a tall horse and was so perplexed that she forgot why she was ranting.

Chopper began to talk to the horse happily as the crew inspected the animal. Usopp petted the creature happily and eyed the saddle. "There must be a person somewhere if this horse is saddled."

"Oh! There's bamboo over here," Luffy called to his crew who were looking at him with boredom.

"And it grows really fast so…" Before Sanji could complete his sentence, the bamboo grew another few inches and smacked the captain.

"I won't lose to a dumb plant!" Luffy declared as he whipped his leg around to break the bamboo. It fell with a resonating crash. Shaking her head, Andrea stalked back towards the ship.

"I'll be back, little brother. I forgot something on the ship!" Luffy looked confused at his sister while some of the crew walked back with her after the rubber man nudged his head towards her.

Rolling her eyes at her brother's paranoia, she laughed as Robin, Sanji, Zoro and Nami escorted her back. She headed into the cabin with a smirk on her face while Robin looked at her crewmates. "Why does Marine-san look so pleased?"

The rest shrugged but then a big ship appeared on the horizon and launched chains to trap the ship. "The front and the back have been blocked!" an annoying, cocky voice called out.

"Come out you damn cowards!" Zoro called out in annoyance as he looked at the oversized ship.

Andrea exited the cabin with a disgruntled look on her face. "I feel so nauseated." She looked at the chains and heard chattering on the giant ship in front of them. "So that's why my Haki is bugging me. Annoying."

"Don't fear for we are the Foxy Pirates! Our duel shall begin shortly!" the voice called out again as the crew's eardrums collectively cried.


	88. Denying the Challenge

Just had my group job interview AND got called back to come in on Tuesday for my individual interview :D  
If I do nail the job, my husband promised me the One Piece Pirate Warrior 2 game for the PS3 :o  
And on top of that... he got a hair cut that super omega makes him look even more like Akainu o.o

Another favorite for the story!

Thanks go to my reviewers jasje20, OnePiecefan202, and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: Happy you liked it :)  
+ OnePiecefan202: Yeah I really hate the Foxy pirates too. Doesn't matter if on anime or manga, English or Japanese, it is so painful to read/listen X_X Anyway since it's the end of the weekend for you, here's a muffin for the road. Hurry back soon :D  
+ 18KmPerHour: Hehe you skidded in right before I was about to post :p Yeah Garp strikes me as very protective given how he acted in Marineford in the actual series

Onto the story! Sadly delaying Aokiji but that should be one or two chapters tops before we see him again!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

**EDIT: **  
I was a dipshit and uploaded wrong chapter at first lol

* * *

**Chapter 88: Denying the Challenge**

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had been cheering for the tall horse, Shelly. She was galloping around proudly with joy as she had been reunited with her owner, Tonjit. Chopper's eyes filled with peace seeing his fellow animal prance happily but a gunshot cut their serenity short. The tall horse fell over, unintentionally bucking her owner, and collapsed in a puddle of blood. Usopp and Chopper dashed towards the two immediately. "Are you two alright?" the sniper called in worry.

"I heard a gunshot! Let me at that wound," Chopper squealed as he pulled out his medic kit.

Luffy's rage at the poor animal being shot for no reason was pinpointed at a rather loud individual who started to brag. Before Luffy could charge, he heard an annoying voice call out. "That horse is mine! Leave it alone!"

A very skinny woman smirked and leaned on the annoying individual. "Yeah, that's my boss's horse."

"Who the hell are you, butt face?!" Luffy shouted as he pointed to the annoying man before him.

The three people were shocked at Luffy's manners. The slender woman with the rather revealing outfit partially concealed by a jacket swayed as her leader whimpered in sadness. The bulkier and bigger of the three looked like a monkey man as he had a large jaw. While the leader himself had a big nose that rivaled Usopp's in terms of ridiculous factor with an awkward, fox ear like hairstyle to boot. "How do you not recognize my face?!"

"They are the Foxy Pirates," a cool voice muttered. Luffy looked up to see his sister but he was shocked when he saw her stalk forward in her official marine outfit. Her jacket swayed rather prominently in the wind. "Leader worth twenty four million Beri and the rest…" she stared at the two pirates who accompanied their leader, "utterly worthless."

"Andrea-san! They shot Shelly so be careful. They have guns!" Usopp shouted from the horse's side while Chopper was trying to carefully examine the wound.

"Luckily they only just clipped her leg. She'll be fine," the doctor announced to everyone's relief.

Happy that his new friend's horse was alright, Luffy turned his rage to the unusual pirate in front of him. "I don't care about his ugly face or how much he's worth; I'm going to send his pathetic ass flying!"

The pirate captain began to whimper and sank to the ground in a great depression. Andrea raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"As the great and powerful Foxy!" his two crewmates swooned around him in reverence. "I can do whatever I want. I don't give a damn about others and only shot the horse for fun!" Before Luffy could launch an attack, Foxy pointed dramatically at his fellow pirate captain. "Now Straw Hat Luffy, you might not want to attack us yet."

"Fuck this," Andrea grumbled as she scratched her ears. "Lil brother, let me just do this. I will inflict what is necessary I promise," she said ominously as she stared at the highly annoying pirates.

"We've heard a lot about your crew," Foxy continued as he was completely oblivious to the angry woman. "Therefore we'd like to challenge you to a duel with quite the amusing stakes."

Luffy was about to accept when Andrea calmly walked up to the low bounty pirate and backhanded him with her left hand. "The challenge he was about to issue you is invalid anyway."

"What?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion as he looked between his sister and the pirate captain who touched his face with fear.

"He was going to challenge you to a Davy Back Fight. As pirates you should have heard of this but I'll inform you," Andrea intoned in a lecturer voice that she had practically reserved for her little brother. "It's a rigged fight where the point is to earn crewmates or to disband a pirate crew."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea…" Luffy mumbled as he glanced at the captain who was still in shock at being slapped. "We do need a shipwright."

"Luffy-kun, look at him. Do you really want any crew that he was able to win? Or worse... him," she growled just to see Luffy have an epiphany.

"Can I talk now?" Foxy asked just to have the siblings glare at him.

"No!" they both shouted before returning to talk amongst themselves. Andrea flicked her brother's head in amusement. "Besides, this Foxy person forgot one crucial detail in regards to Davy Back Fights."

"What did I forget?" the captain growled in annoyance. He was already sick of this nosy woman and his two crewmates were getting antsy.

"If a marine is present, any challenges are void." Foxy's eyes bulged as he barely noticed her outfit and now his eyes just roamed over the marine. Taking in her jacket which symbolized her ranking, her already tense stance, and her twitching hand told him enough.

"But if there is no marine, I can issue the challenge!" Foxy declared as he used his powers towards Andrea. Chuckling, she sidestepped where his powers were going to affect her and let it touch her right hand only. However, the momentum of the open handed slap was not slowed in the slightest and because how annoyed she was, she added a touch of Armament Haki and slapped Foxy so hard, that his body was lifted off the ground.

"I would never risk my friends!" Luffy declared as he kicked Foxy in the stomach. "I don't want anyone weaker than you anyway. Sis, what are you going to do?"

"Only carry out the necessary justice," she said darkly as she pulled out her dagger from its sheath. The woman and monkey man, sensing danger to their captain, quickly picked him up and ran. "Well now hopefully they'll stop harassing the ship."

"Is Merry ok?" Luffy demanded as he was steamed at the thought that anyone could damage his home.

"Yeah they just were blocking our way though. Maybe they'll go now but we should check back on the ship." Luffy agreed with his sister immediately. Ordering Usopp and Chopper to watch over Shelly and her owner, Tonjit, the two siblings went off towards the ship.

"Sis…" Luffy watched his sister look back at him with curiosity. Her eyes were still sharp with anger but they softened as they looked at him. "I never knew you'd pull rank like that." She smiled widely as she twirled dramatically with her jacket. "Hehe I guess there is some benefit to traveling with a marine."

"Even if they were a little stronger than me, my superior is around here." Luffy's eyes bulged with incredulity. "What? I wouldn't talk big if I couldn't back it and if by some bullshit fluke I was weaker, they still would have been taken down."

In no time they had arrived at the Going Merry but the Foxy pirates still had their boat pinning the Straw Hat's boat. Zoro spotted the two siblings and hollered a greeting. "That annoying split hair captain came around and said he was going to destroy our ship as soon as he gathers his dignity."

Chuckling, Luffy looked at the ship. "Sis, isn't that figure head a little over the top ugly?"

She nodded in agreement as a dark look came over her face. "Do you remember how I used to lecture you and Ace to not horse around?" Luffy nodded with a smile at the memories. "Well, how about we show them a little bit of chaos?"

"Oh hell yes. I love you sis!" Luffy turned towards his crew with his trademark wide smile. "Watch Merry please!" he ordered his crew and they laughed as the two siblings charged but in their own distinctive way. Andrea had started to run along the Going Merry's rails and leapt into the air. She took a dial from her pocket and activated it. Using her jacket like a sail, she gently swooshed through the air and landed safely onto the deck. The Foxy pirates looked at her in fear while she grinned menacingly. Luffy had other plans as he charged their figurehead from below and kicked sharply upwards. The force of his rubbery kick has forced the figurehead off of the ship revealing a gaping hole. Grabbing onto the stray timbers, he hopped into the hole and grinned as he looked around the hull.

"Find some treasure!" Nami cheered from the Going Merry. Robin brought out a chair to relax and view the show. Zoro went to find rum while Sanji decided to make some snacks.

"Whatever is left, I don't want at all," Andrea called back with great amusement as the Foxy pirates stared back at her with worry. They had all heard in great detail about the scary female marine who manhandled their captain. Some of the more scared of the pirates headed towards lifeboats that the ship. "Oh I don't want my fun ruined," Andrea whined as she took out her dagger. "I suppose this," she tapped the mast with amusement, "will have to do." She took a swipe at the mast, coating it carefully with Haki, and watched as it fell backwards onto the Foxy pirates' ship.

Panic ensued even more as a random rubbery limb would shoot up from the hull and retreat back from the hull from where it came. Enthusiastic shouts could be heard as Luffy made his progress through the underbelly of the ship. "Sis, I found the kitchen! You do the rest please. I'm hungry," Luffy shouted from the bottom of the ship which brought a chuckle to the marine's face.

"Oh I suppose I could do that for my little brother," she smirked as she looked at the few pirates that remained on shore. She saw that even the captain bailed out on his crew and was in a small ship paddled by the two crewmates he was with earlier. Snatching a rifle off of the deck, she took careful aim and shot towards the boat. With great satisfaction, she saw heard the anguished howl of the annoying pirate and smiled towards the Straw Hats.

Nami, Robin, Sanji and Zoro all had white cards in their hands which they wrote a number on. While Sanji had of course, written a 10 on his, the marine was pleased to see a score of 8, 8 and 7. Nami put her hands next to her mouth to shout, "If Luffy wasn't distracted by the food, I would have given a higher score!" Chuckling, the marine found a gangplank and set it between the two ships.


	89. Icy Reception

If you checked yesterday's chapter within the first five minutes of its upload, please be aware I stuck the wrong chapter up =.= But that I had switched it immediately to the proper one so get reading if you have not!

Also yay me! My 2nd interview for the chiropractor job is today :D If I get that job, I get to buy the Pirate Warriors 2 game. IGN gave it a shitty review but seriously... why would you want someone not really into One Piece and obviously not a gamer to review the game o.O

Thanks go to my reviewers jasje20 and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: Gladyou liked it :)  
+ 18KmPerHour: Let's just say I was so happy to get Foxy Arc over with quick but rereading the manga for info to make sure I didn't miss anything was rather painful X_X

Guess who is coming up!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 89: Icy Reception**

Luffy stroked the afro he had placed on his head lovingly. He had found it while raiding the inside of the Foxy Pirates' ship. Nami had halted any protests she had at the ridiculous fashion statement he called the afro of power due to the money that was stowed aboard the ship. Andrea was very serene and silent as she had a duffle bag with her but would not explain why she was carrying a bag when they were so close to the ship. Even Sanji was in a jovial mood towards the other males in the crew due to being able to loot their fridge of food. "They had shitty rum," Zoro grumbled as he hauled ass off the Going Merry.

"You still drank it," Robin chuckled before turning to Luffy. "Your afro does make you rather powerful, Captain-san." The captain preened at the compliment just to get flicked in the forehead by his sister.

"We need to check on Usopp, Chopper, Shelly and Tonjit remember?" Luffy nodded enthusiastically before taking off in that direction. His afro swayed happily in the wind and the two rival males looked at it enviously.

"I wish there wasn't only one afro," groaned Zoro as he shaded his eyes. "Look how far ahead our captain has gone."

"That's not the afro. That's his adrenaline," deadpanned the marine as she followed behind. Within a couple minutes, they saw the rubbery captain petting the long horse happily.

"Once you're healed, we can catch up with the others." Tonjit petted his horse happily as he looked at the pirates. He eyed Luffy's hair with a smile. "Quite the fashion statement you are making, young man."

"We kicked ass," Luffy put simply with a smile. He noticed the doctor carefully changing Shelly's bandages. "Good work, Chopper!"

Chopper blushed at the praise. Nami looked at the injured horse with worry. "Could we not just take the two of them on the Going Merry?"

"These islands are all really just a part of the same island," Usopp explained patiently. "Therefore the log pose wouldn't point to each part individually."

"Oh I don't mind," Tonjit happily murmured as he was about to go in his house. He was about to reach for the door when he saw a very tall man sleeping while standing up. The sleeping mask covered the man's eyes and his soft snores were very prominent with the noise of the Foxy Pirates gone. "Who is that?" the island dweller asked with curiosity.

The duffle bag that Andrea was carrying clanked loudly as the marine dropped it on the ground as she charged towards the tall sleeping man. "Kuzaaaaaaaaaan!" she shrieked in joy as she tackled the man.

"Eh?" the tall man with black, somewhat curly hair lifted up his sleeping mask to look at the woman hugging him happily. He looked at the pirates around him and spotted Nico Robin to his amusement. Looking back down at the marine, he smiled as he ruffled her hair. "You're a lot more lively than last time I saw you, Andrea-chan."

She grinned widely as she helped the admiral up. To her pleasure, she saw Robin stand rigidly in fear. "You remember my brother, Luffy?" The tall man nodded as she laughed at the lanky young man.

"To think this is the scary pirate that kidnapped you," he teased the scowling female marine. "You have a more mature look to you," he complimented Luffy. "I remember when I saw you all those years ago. Even more carefree back then."

"And you were that marine who went with Gramps when Andy got that check up." Luffy glanced at his sister to see her face darkened with the unspoken threat. The rubber man decided wisely to change the topic. "You still are mega tall. I could have sworn you were a tree!"

The admiral laughed before looking at the Straw Hat crew and in particular, Luffy. "The afro looks good on you, Luffy-kun. Reminds me of someone I work under." The rubbery pirate smiled widely before he focused his gaze on Robin. She had fallen backwards onto the ground in fear. "You have grown into quite the interesting young woman, Nico Robin." She hugged herself in annoyance at the thought of his eyes roving her form. The crew picked up on the tense environment and looked skeptically at the taller marine.

"Eh Robin?" Luffy looked at his archeologist with worry. "How do you know this guy?"

"Luffy… do you ever pay attention when I tell you anything of value?" Andrea groaned into her palm which made the admiral chuckle.

"I suppose she hasn't gone out of her way to explain how we met either," the tall man mumbled in a wistful voice. He walked closer to Robin and saw to his amusement Zoro place his hands onto his swords, Sanji ready his legs and Usopp reach for his slingshot with a practiced hand. "Kids like you shouldn't be so aggressive," he chuckled but his distinctive laughter did not ease the crew's worries. "My only orders are to retrieve my charge. Andrea-chan, are you ready?"

"Orders?" Zoro questioned just for his eyes to widen. "Retrieve Andrea? You mean that…"

"He is a marine," Robin clarified as she kept her eyes on the man. "He is one of the admirals in fact. Aokiji the blue pheasant."

Luffy's head swung to the admiral in wonder. "Oh you're an admiral now? Why didn't Gramps tell me?" he whined just to have the archeologist level a glare at him.

"You all realize there are only three admirals. Akainu the red dog, Aokiji the blue pheasant and Kizaru the yellow monkey. Their superior is the fleet admiral himself Sengoku. To think that this ultimate force is the superiors for Captain-san's sister is quite frightening."

Andrea giggled as she strode towards Robin. "The knowledge you hold Robin is equally frightening if we are to be fair."

Usopp's eyebrows rose in confusion as he eyed the interaction between the two women before glancing back at the admiral. "Why is someone like you her superior?"

"Oh you haven't told them?" Aokiji questioned Andrea just to have her shrug.

"Luffy knew so that is enough. Why would any of them require that knowledge?" she shot back just to have him laugh.

"True enough." His gaze swiveled to Nami who felt small at the tall man noticing you. "Oh what a sexy lady with a nice figure! Would you like to go on a date?" Nami's eyes widened in surprise but before she could politely turn down the powerful man, Sanji and Usopp began to rage.

"Leave Nami-swaaaaan the fuck alone!" the blond chef demanded.

"You still haven't told us why Andrea is your charge. Explain that before hitting on women," Usopp barked just to have the two marines laugh.

"Your crew is rather hostile," Aokiji chuckled as he nodded towards Luffy. "They do realize I'm only here to take your sister?" The captain shrugged which made the male marine chortle. "I guess I could tell you something else…" The crew waited patiently before Aokiji's brow scrunched in confusion. "Damn. I forgot. Andrea-chan, did I tell you anything?"

"This man can't possibly be an admiral!" Usopp roared as he pointed at the forgetful man. Aokiji looked offended at the scrawny sniper doubting his ability. "This has to be a prank."

"I do my duty to uphold justice," Aokiji shot back as he stretched his legs before deciding to lie down. "My legs are tired," he explained to the confused crew. "Anyway, stop acting like I'm here to arrest you all. I explained my mission and seeing Nico Robin merely confirmed a few rumors I had heard so no harm. Just chill out."

Luffy laughed heartily at the lazy man. "You're still punny!" The crew looked towards their captain in surprise while Robin's was a look of shock.

"You're aware of his powers?" Luffy nodded as if the knowledge was known by everyone.

"I've met him before. Duh." The crew still was confused by did not understand why Robin was still scared.

"You're… really not going to fight us?" Sanji questioned just to be responded by a half hearted shrug. "That's a pleasant difference."

"He seems too lazy to be an admiral," Usopp grumbled confidently.

"I guess we have to officially recalculate the bounty, eh Andrea-chan?" She confirmed it and he began to count on his fingers before his brow furrowed. "Meh. Too hard to count. You do it later ok?" Andrea chortled in amusement just for the Straw Hats to look even less concerned about the tall man.

Luffy smiled but began to launch his arm back so energetically that his afro fell off. Despite his crew being rather relaxed, they quickly restrained their captain. "He's an admiral, you idiot!" Sanji growled as he tried to hold back the fussing rubber man.

"He's going to take my sister away and hurt Robin!" The crew looked at Robin who had been silent before their gaze turned towards Andrea and her bag. Suddenly the pieces all fell together. "Andy is going to leave with him and be a mean marine like Gramps!"

"You know our Grandfather is a good marine," Andrea snarked with annoyance. Luffy gave a half nod in response which only served to irritate his sister more. "And Smoker?" Luffy then wrinkled his nose before shrugging.

"Anyway…"Immediately every eye shot towards the male marine who stood up. He pointed towards Tonjit. "Pack your stuff immediately."

"Don't listen to him. He's just a marine!" Luffy scowled just to receive a slap on the shoulder from his sister. "Sorry sis!"

"Why are the marines bad?" the old man asked with confusion. Usopp smacked Luffy in the head just for the Straw Hat captain to have an epiphany.

"Oh… I forgot everyone thinks pirates are bad guys and marines are the good guys. Never mind!" He held a hand out to Aokiji to shake. "Are you really going to help this old guy?"

"How can he help?" Usopp asked skeptically at the lazy marine.

"He is able to," Robin said softly. The crew looked at her in confusion before Andrea nodded in agreement.

"Oh! I know how you'll do it!" Luffy shouted happily to receive a deep laugh from the admiral.


	90. Frosty Relations

So more awesomeness on the job hunt front. I got a kick ass recommendation from my former coworker/friend and go in for an hour to see if I like the work environment when it is in full swing. I'm so excited :D

Thanks go to my reviewers 18KmPerHour & jasje20  
+ 18KmPerHour: The amount of love that the guys of OP have for afros is pretty high :o My husband and his best buddy also swear by the power of the afro xD And I was like super mega excited to get to Aokiji :3  
+ jasje20: Thanks for the review!

The anticipation is staggering! :o

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 90: Frosty Relations**

Robin's eyes were trained expertly to her crewmates and the two marines. While Aokiji was chatting amicably with Tonjit about his horse and his fellow villagers, the archeologist knew that the admiral was hyper aware of his surroundings. Despite his lax demeanor, hunched shoulders and near constant yawns, she knew that if his eyes were not trained on her, the other marine's was. She gave a polite smile to her crewmates who were more or less was concerned for her welfare. "Don't worry, Robin-chawn. I'll protect you from anyone; even that shitty admiral." She politely squeezed the chef's shoulder in thanks but her stomach churned in worry nonetheless.

Luffy was petting Shelly happily and wishing the duo well. The dark haired archeologist watched her happy captain with hope. _He won't let that man hurt me,_ Robin thought eagerly but then she saw Luffy mutter something to his sister. Her brow furrowed as she took in the marine's gaze which immediately turned suspicious. _But she had it out for me the minute we met…_

"Ice Age!" Aokiji sounded with boredom as he froze not just the water but a sea king nearby. Most of the Straw Hat crew gaped in open wonder at the powerful logia nonchalantly using his powers and not even being slightly winded.

"He's a devil fruit user…" Zoro muttered in slack jawed shock before turning to Luffy. "Captain, you could have mentioned that to us."

"But then it's not a surprise," the rubber man whined before pointing at the water. "And I wanted to skate on the ice!"

"This is the power of the ice logia, Aokiji, one of the feared admirals," Robin intoned gravely as she watched the frost clinging to Aokiji's arm and hand slowly defrost with the warm wind.

The admiral turned towards Tonjit who was staring at the ice with sheer wonder. "This will hold for a week so you don't have to go at a brutal pace. Good luck on finding the villagers but please dress warmly."

"This must be a dream…" the old man murmured in astonishment. Quickly thanking both the marines and the pirates, he quickly took his horse across the ice.

Luffy was still cheering and even happily stood on the ice to skate as his sister had managed to sneak a few of the skate type wavers and was somewhat skating on the ice. After slipping a few times, the rubber pirate rushed back to the island while rubbing his skin. "That's really cold!"

"No shit," Sanji growled as he watched his captain stride over to the lazy admiral. Aokiji had sat on the ground as he felt rather sleepy.

"You are like your grandfather," the admiral complimented the pirate captain who looked torn at being pleased with the compliment and embarrassed at being associated with Garp. "You both are so different from Andrea-chan." He looked at his fellow marine who was looking away and pretending to not be affected by the older marine telling tales. "I remember she used to run around Marineford as a little scamp. But she is different. Vastly different but maybe it's how you all see the world." He scratched his head in deep thought. "I forgot what I was going to say but it likely was pretty cool."

Usopp had tilted his head in confusion. "What is special about their grandpa?"

While Luffy began to sweat instinctively in fear, Andrea began to laugh. "It's not funny, Andy! He spoiled and pampered you loads more than me or Ace!"

"Well you apparently weren't supposed to die as a child," she replied with dry humor as a weak smile graced her face. "Anyway, Kuzan, onto business?"

The admiral stood up as he nodded at Andrea. "Packed up?" She held up her duffle bag and had secured it to her back. "But I suppose Sakazuki would be pissed if we left loose ends tied up, eh?"

Andrea shrugged as her eyes zoned in on Robin immediately. "Well I lacked the power to do so without consequence. But is her hide a priority?"

"Good point," the admiral admitted before glancing at the pirates. "Yet they are a danger. Perhaps they should just die now." His calm voice was very disconcerting to the pirates but Luffy merely stared back at him blankly while Robin was embroiled in true horror of her situation. Lifting up his leg to check his shoe for pebbles, the admiral droned on in a bored tone. "Despite your capture Andrea-chan, the world government still isn't taking this crew of miscreants seriously." The crew had an affronted look which Aokiji pointedly denied. "They admit that the Straw Hat crew is clever and determined despite being a much smaller crew than other worrying pirates. The growth of the captain in particular in terms of bounty and power is truly extraordinary."

"What has been making things easier for this crew is the fact they limited their involvement with the marines and the world government," Andrea helpfully informed the Straw Hats. Aokiji nodded at the information in acknowledgement.

"Other than the commotion on that winter island where the king was a pirate or whatever," the admiral dismissively said. "Oh and Alabasta. Smoker is rather sore about the whole situation," he chuckled but his expression froze as he became serious. "But what happens when your crew decides to take on more than the pirates? Please understand my concern."

"I thought you were here to just take Andrea to your marine base!" Usopp shouted in annoyance.

Aokiji shrugged dismissively at the lanky sniper. "All that before the addition of the feared Nico Robin. Now… this is quite the frightening situation."

Robin shook slightly as the both marines gazed at her intensely but Luffy stood in front of her, even shielding her from his sister's glare. "I won't let you take Robin away. She's my nakama and I won't let anyone hurt my nakama."

"You misunderstand, Luffy-kun." The pirate captain snorted at the admonishment from the admiral. "Size of bounty doesn't always reflect power but sometimes threat to the government and the world. Since that woman was a child of eight, she had to survive but to do that, anyone that assisted her… she would betray." Aokiji's eyes became even colder as he stared down the archeologist. "Are these simple but threatening pirates your new tools in an effort to protect yourself and achieve your goals?"

"How dare you say such things to Robin-chawn!" Sanji scowled as he chomped through his cigarette in anger. "What did she ever do to you, shitty marine?"

Usopp was attempted to placate and restrain the cook while gazing at Robin cautiously. Looking at his fellow crewmates, he noticed Nami and Zoro's anxious gaze but another thing burned in their eyes that Luffy instilled in all of his crew: the need to protect their nakama. "Yet… she did nothing to you," Luffy pointed out skeptically.

"True, true. That insight of yours is refreshing," the admiral admitted with a wry smile. "But understand as I am a marine and as your sister and grandfather are marines, we have our duties. Bringing that woman to justice is but one of them." He shrugged in amusement before yawning. "She had escaped my arrest before and if she escapes again, I do sincerely wish that you as a crew learn to avoid that woman's curse."

"We'll take our chances," Luffy shot back just to be met by Aokiji's refreshing laugh. Andrea gave her brother a sad smile before looking downwards in sadness.

"You wish to take chances? Every group Nico Robin has associated with, even slightly, has ended up destroyed with only her alive." He looked at the shaky archeologist with curiosity. "Do you wish to tell your crew why that is?"

"Screw you!" Luffy shouted with his temper completely shot. "The past doesn't matter! Andy, you know better than to let this spiel affect your judgment."

Andrea gave her brother a withering glare while Aokiji shrugged. "So… it is true that she has gained your brother's trust. Odd. I thought considering your family history that you would be more careful."

"Oi Kuzan… stepping into chilly waters here," she growled but finally Robin snapped. She was unable to handle the waiting for the two marines to take action against her.

"If you two think you can really arrest me, I dare you to try!" she roared in anger as she crossed her arms and used her devil fruit powers to envelopment and restrain both marines.


	91. Cool Retreat

Well I should find out later today if I got the job ^_^

This was a fun chapter to write as I was torn between how close to canon to keep how Aokiji treats the Straw Hats but I decided that this way was for the best :o

Sweet! Another story couple favorites and a follow :)

An extra thanks to my reviewers jasje20, Artemis Decibal, and 18KmPerHour  
+ jasje20: Glad you enjoyed!  
+ Artemis Decibal: Lol chills :p I agree with how Aokiji's introduction in the actual series was pretty funny but yeah afterwords was a bit of an eh wtf moment too. Yet I think that what if the other admirals met the crew first o.O Akainu likely would have announced Luffy's parentage and killed him outright where Kizaru's reaction would have been a wild card but he still would fight them  
+ 18KmPerHour: Yup, the plot shall thicken tension wise especially after this chapter

Plot twists await within!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

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**Chapter 91: Cool Retreat**

Andrea, with great difficulty, turned her head to face her superior. "You didn't see this coming at all did you?" she dryly asked just to hear the admiral chuckle.

"I guess I made her a little mad," he admitted which only enraged the archeologist who literally, had them in the palm of her many hands. "I am a bit disappointed in her actions as she knows my abilities. I had heard she was such a smart woman too."

"Don't insult my intelligence by acting like I'm not here," growled Robin who was about to perform a clutch on both of the marines when Luffy grabbed her shoulder softly, as to not startle her.

"Robin, if you do that, the government will be after you even worse. And as much as I disapprove of what Andy is doing, I can't allow you to hurt my sister." Rather than placating the archeologist, this only fueled her anger.

"Oh so I'm supposed to let them hurt me or capture me? I won't allow that to happen. Clutch!" While she did not intend to hurt Luffy's sister too severely, she merely had her hands grip her hair really sharply backwards whilst keeping her unable to move. Meanwhile she performed the full brunt of the attack on Aokiji. Predictably, he shattered into ice at her touch. Andrea merely laughed at the display which made Robin increase the amount of power on the female marine. Grunting with effort, she resisted the clutch but a sudden crack stilled the marine. Satisfied, the paramecia canceled her powers and looked at the result apprehensively as the female marine was still standing.

"They're dead!" shrieked Chopper in fear as he stood behind Usopp. The little reindeer was curious but still too cautious to outright go and investigate for himself whether or not Robin had really broken Andrea's spine.

"Stop playing dead, you two!" Luffy grumbled as he scratched his butt. "Let's just get this shit over with."

Aokiji's laughter sounded as he pulled together his body from the ice fragments. "Can't fool you eh Luffy-kun? Oi Andrea-chan! Please pop your shoulder back into its normal spot or your grandfather will have my head."

"Dammit, denying me just a little fun," she whined as she put her hand behind her and popped her shoulder, albeit painfully, back into place. "So… we got attacked. Can we just go now? This is rather uncomfortable."

"Ah, the women of today are so harsh!" Both Andrea and Robin grunted knowing this barb was aimed at both of them. Reaching into the grass in front of him, the admiral tossed the blades of grass into the air and froze them as well as the air between them to form an ice blade. He looked at Robin with annoyance. "I wasn't going to kill you yet you tried to kill me," he muttered in a sarcastically affronted tone while he slashed with his ice blade. Before the makeshift weapon could make contact however, Zoro had stepped in with his sword. Andrea was about to warn the Straw Hats of the consequences of interfering with the admiral but before she could even open her mouth, she saw Sanji run up to the admiral and kick up his ice sword up into the air. Luffy sensed his chance to prepare for an attack but the smirking admiral was not intimidated by the assault as he both Sanji's outstretched leg and Zoro's bicep in an iron clad grip. "Eh Andrea-chan, they are so hostile!"

Snorting in annoyance, Luffy punched the admiral square in the stomach but saw to his fear, that ice merely covered his fist and to make matters worse, the ice was traveling up his arm. "Oh fuck! That's so cold!" Zoro's arm and shoulder was being rapidly covered by the powerful ice while Sanji's leg and knee was facing the same fate. He dropped the men in boredom and stared at the rest of the crew lazily.

"He actually froze them!" Chopper shrieked with fear. Despite being a furry reindeer covered in fur, he still did not fancy taking on this man who wielded his ice logia so easily.

"He took all three of them so easily… It's like the sky islands all over again," Nami groaned as she placed a hand on her Climatact cautiously.

"I was going to warn you guys," Andrea mumbled softly as she attempted to reach out to her brother but was heartbroken to see him squirm and wiggle away from her. Biting her lip in sadness, she turned her gaze to the ground and walked to the admiral. Her head shot up as she thought of something. "Chopper-kun! Please treat them immediately."

Some of the Straw Hats were going to rant at the marine but Chopper's concerned voice silenced them. "If we don't treat the soon, the affected areas will never be the same."

"Heh, I'm impressed Nico Robin." The admiral looked appraisingly at the frightened, raven haired woman. "You were able to make good, loyal friends but we all know you're the same woman as before."

"This is not the same," Robin protested as she took a cautious step back. "I am not the same!"

Aokiji sighed and was about to step forward to freeze her when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking back, he saw Andrea look at him with determination. "Let's allow her to prove herself," the female marine suggested as she motioned to the literally so scared she was practically frozen in place woman. "While suspicious, I haven't seen anything too worrying about how she treats my brother's crew. Maybe we can give her this chance."

Raising an eyebrow, the admiral looked skeptically between the two dark haired women. "Sakazuki will not be pleased to hear this. We won't have to mention this conversation just for him to explode in anger at the fact we had Nico Robin at our mercy."

"He doesn't have to know and I find this the necessary and maybe the only moral way to do this," maintained Andrea as she decided to appeal to the marine's sense of justice. She stubbornly looked between her brother and the relieved looking female pirate who was about to be frozen solid. "You could bullshit that I had been threatened when you were sent to retrieve me. Sengoku would see that as the priority, no?"

The Straw Hat pirates looked at each other in wonder. Even Nami's suspicious demeanor was easing. _Is she really going to go so far to protect Luffy and us?_ the navigator wondered idly.

Aokiji's next words sent an icy feeling down her stomach. "Without injuries, he won't believe it."

"Well, I'll just have to get injured won't I?" Andrea fired back with determination. "Now would leaving be a priority?"

"If it's a small cut, he'll just believe it was with your dagger though. Many of the marines are skeptical enough without you sticking your neck out for pirates like how Smoker did. Not that I disapprove or anything…" Andrea nodded softly before walking past Aokiji and kneeling in front of Zoro who was still clutching his arm on the ground.

"May I borrow one of your swords?" the female marine asked politely to everyone's surprise. Before awaiting a response from the shocked swordsman, she picked up the one in the white sheath, Wado Ichimonji. Unsheathing the blade with ease, she looked at the sword and admired the workmanship of the blade. "It is very finely made," the marine mumbled in wonder but before anyone could protest, she held the sword in her right hand.

"Andy, no!" Luffy screamed but it was too late.

Calling upon the power in her scarred palm, the crew watched as hands sprouted in a chain front her hand and they gripped the sword as a singular unit. Whipping backwards, she slashed her back with the length of the sword so quickly that blood sprayed the air and stained the blade. Her jacket and shirt had been easily ripped by the blade's precise edge that her skin suffered just barely less damage due to how she controlled the blade. Carefully placing both the sword and sheath onto the ground, Andrea winced against the pain as she looked at Aokiji appraisingly. "Critical enough of a wound for you?"

The admiral nodded and gathered the heavily bleeding woman into his arms. He glanced momentarily at Luffy with a mixture of shock and sadness. "Your sister cares a lot for you it seems. Don't waste her compassionate, idiotic sacrifice so lightly. It seems times like this she really shows a similarity to you." He started to walk away but turned to Robin. "And it seems you've escaped capture again but next time, you won't be so lucky."

Before he could walk away, Andrea reached out with her right arm to Robin. Clasping onto the woman's shoulder, Robin winced at the grip. Aokiji noted with pride that the weakened marine was applying Armament Haki into the grip. "Hurt my brother and the crew… and I will kill you, consequences be damned." Robin nodded hesitantly before she shrieked suddenly in pain. The crew watched as ice spread from Andrea's palm onto the paramecia's shoulder. "And that's for making my shoulder pop," she grumbled as she fell unconscious. "Bitch," she mumbled as her eyes fell heavily.


	92. The Cold Truth Comes to Light

Woo! Another favorite & follow :D

An mega cookie of thanks to my reviewers jasje20 and 18KmPerHour  
+ jasje20: Glad you like it  
+ 18KmPerHour: Yup Andy pulled a Luffy but in an overly complicated way o_o Also she is super overly self sacrificing which is referenced way back in Chapter 20 hehe

Let me know what you like! Reviews are yummy

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 92: The Cold Truth Comes to Light**

The ice logia grumbled as he attempted to wrap the wound on Andrea's back with some bandages he found in her duffle bag. Despite being a marine, he was a poor field medic in any case but who else could take care of it? The woman in question was already unconscious from blood loss and the furry animal the Straw Hats called a doctor likely was busy from the victims of his and surprisingly Andrea's power. "You're so difficult," he muttered to the female marine as he finally wrapped the wound in clean bandages and covered her in a blanket. "Every time I see you, you're in dire health or just not aware…" Slinging it around his back, she was curled up in it like a baby with her head poking out. Grunting with the effort to balance her, the bag and now the Den Den Mushi he pulled out of his pocket, he dialed a number.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kizaru was sunning on the deck of his ship but despite this, was quite bored. One of his crewmates however distracted him from his doing of nothing by running up to him with a ringing Den Den Mushi in his hands. Picking it up with amusement, he drawled into the receiver, "Kizaru here."

"You have medics on your ship correct?" the voice drifted airily from the snail. The light logia's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Kuzan? Why do you ask?" Kizaru glanced to the crew around him and motioned towards the medical bay. The crew understood immediately and began to scour the area clean in preparation.

"I have completed the retrieval of Gol D. Andrea into marine custody but there was a price," Aokiji admitted with worry evident in his tone. "There is no base or town near enough and I believe your ship is the closest to the location I had disclosed to you earlier."

Kizaru grunted in understanding before pulling out a map and studying it quickly. "This price you mentioned sounded a bit steep. How badly is she injured that you could not take her somewhere before passing her to my custody?"

"She has a cut on her back very close to her spinal cord which bled quite a bit. On top of that, her medical history makes this a bit more complicated." Aokiji's cold voice sliced through the air like heated steel through butter. "I hope you understand these circumstances."

"Oh I do fully but does _he_?"

"I don't care why Akainu is so paranoid or worried about. Andrea-chan is in danger."

Kizaru sighed and weakly laughed. "I was referring to the vice admiral Garp."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Chopper felt like he was running a mad house on top of the Going Merry's deck. While the Monster Trio's injuries were rather minor cases of frost bite, he was very much concerned about the ship's archeologist. Her mental state was in turmoil due to shock at the fact that she yet again, could have died by Aokiji's hand but not only did he spare her, but the closest person she considered a rival essentially spared her also. "Robin!" Chopper waved a hoof in front of the raven haired pirate and she slowly glanced over to him. "Can you move your shoulder?"

She nodded weakly as she raised and lowered her shoulder. Satisfied, the reindeer went to check on Luffy's hand but the rubber pirate waved him off. "Chopper, just get some rest. You've done a lot today."

The reindeer blushed at the praise and galloped to the kitchen to find a snack. Luffy had glanced over at Nami who walked up to him apprehensively. "Luffy… we should rest for the night. We can recover from our injuries, ensue the log pose is set, and hopefully that admiral will be ahead of us enough that we don't run into him."

The captain stiffened at the mention of the admiral as did Robin. "I'm more worried about my sister than him."

Nami raised her orange brow questioningly but Zoro decided to answer. "The way she cut with the sword, she could have easily died. It's not like she did a normal slash reaching behind."

"She was able to use my powers…" Robin mumbled as she was still in shock from the whole incident. "And yet she didn't kill me."

"Sometimes even a beautiful woman can't understand the mind of another, equally beautiful woman." Zoro gagged at Sanji's nauseous expression.

Luffy tensed his fist which had only earlier, been frozen by Aokiji's logia powers. "Andy… isn't a normal sister. Huh, that sounded weird." Luffy scrunched his face in concentration before shrugging and deciding to continue with the perplexing explanation. "You see, we're not blood siblings."

"But she and Ace looked alike," Usopp reasoned in confusion but then Chopper spoke up suddenly.

"Ace and Luffy aren't blood siblings." Zoro and Sanji's eyes widened in realization of what that implied while Usopp's eyes bulged in fear at the reindeer. "Ace and Andrea though are twins."

"And she's been around the marines a lot more than me or Ace," Luffy added as he scratched his butt in boredom. "Huh… my hand is really chilly when I do that or this!" He promptly began to pick his nose and became amused at a cold booger before he barely avoided Sanji's foot.

"Well I did see her with an admiral before Luffy took me into the crew," the chef admitted to the shock of everyone. "The reason she was angry with me when we were escaping Smoker and Luffy's execution is because I made…" he cautiously eyed Luffy's expression before continuing. "You see, I made an inappropriate advance towards her."

"What a surprise," Zoro deadpanned before Luffy flew past him and advanced onto the chef.

"My snot is going to make an inappropriate advance on your face!" Luffy howled in a protective rage as he tried to jab the cook with the finger despite Usopp and a transformed Chopper holding him back. Nami shook her head at the stupidity while the archeologist could not help but suppress a small smile.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu picked up the ringing Den Den Mushi with annoyance. "This better be important," the magma logia growled into the receiver.

"I suppose me retrieving a certain tall, lanky female marine isn't important. Oh well!" Aokiji was about to hang up the snail when his fellow admiral protested.

"You have rescued her from the Straw Hats?" the burly admiral questioned just to be answered by a grunt. "So have you confirmed the rumors about the infamous Nico Robin joining that crew?"

"Yeah she's in the crew," Aokiji answered simply while Akainu scrunched his brows with confusion.

"And…?"

"And what?" the ice logia snapped back in annoyance.

"Whatever. Let me speak with Andrea-san."

"She's unconscious due to blood loss. That is why I was unable to apprehend that Ohara devil or the crew that houses her." Akainu's fists clenched at the mental conflict he was feeling. "I will rendezvous with Kizaru shortly and his ship's medic will take care of her."

"Why haven't you tried to take care of her?" the magma logia roared in anger. "If you can't even simply apprehend Nico Robin, I'd like to think you can take care of our charge at least somewhat adequately."

A weak whimpering was heard from the Den Den Mushi followed by the ice logia's quiet voice murmuring softly to the female marine who fell quiet once again. "I have done my best with what time and the situation I was in," Aokiji replied calmly but his fellow admiral could sense the cold anger radiating from the man via his Den Den Mushi. "She is stable but unconscious. She will be fine and in better shape once she is on that ship."

"How is it she was injured?" Akainu inquired with irritation. "I trained her well enough to avoid unnecessary blows as did Kizaru. Funny how under your care she obtains such an injury."

"If you remember correctly, oh wait, we decided to not inform you because you would overreact… while in Kizaru's care, she fell into a coma from overstraining the power she had newly discovered. And even if we did tell you anything, your head was too far up your own ass to realize that you're not the only person worrying about her. Oh and to top that off, I knew her and protected her back before you even knew she existed beyond being one of Garp's grandchildren." Akainu was silent at the rant his icy counterpart was giving him. What could he really say to justify his anger when the cold logia was so justified in his own? "Don't ever imply I would be so careless with Andrea-chan because I certainly give a damn about her beyond what her bloody name is." He then hung up the snail harshly and the admiral stared at the now happily dozing snail.

"Quite interesting of a point that he had," a calm voice sounded. Looking up, Akainu was surprised to see the fleet admiral standing before him. "You usually know better than to question your fellow admirals like that. Why so sensitive about her?"

"And you aren't?" the admiral fired back before regretting the statement seconds after the words left his lips. Apologizing, he looked downwards as he expected a punishment from the fleet admiral. But it never came.

"She had the potential to become a great marine back then," another voice called out. Akainu looked up to see the vice admiral Garp stare back at him. "Did you know she had once dreamt to work towards becoming a fleet admiral? Yet she was so discouraged by her medical issues as a young child that she basically gave up on that dream." The protective grandfather's face softened for a split second before hardening at Akainu's inquisitive gaze. "Surprisingly, you brought her into the marines again which made her happy I suppose despite her initial protests."

"The child of Gol D. Roger is too dangerous to leave to their own devices," Akainu pointed out but he did not even entirely believe his own argument anymore.

"Funny you bring that up," Sengoku muttered as he walked to the office window and stared out of it. "As a child, she had wanted to be fleet admiral to prove that one person's path shouldn't condemn their entire family's livelihood." The admiral's eyes had widened at this revelation.

"But she was so opposed when I met her."

"Did you ever think that she wasn't confident she could redeem her family?" Sengoku pointed out harshly. "If she died young, it would make joining pointless and help no one at all."

"But… isn't she still in as critical health as before?" The vice admiral and fleet admiral exchanged a pleased look at the tone of worry they heard.

"Well, you see she had received a medical exam a few years ago when we had discovered a procedure that helped to save her life." Garp sighed as he knew his granddaughter would be very upset at what he was going to reveal but this would be important or there could be issues later on. "Aokiji saved her life when she was a child and yet again a few years ago." Akainu's face stared to become red but the fleet admiral's words made him feel like he was going to erupt.

"Pity things didn't work out between the two of them, eh Garp?"


	93. Into the Light

Still waiting on that job call X_X

A nachos worth of thanks to my reviewers jasje20, dark-driex-07, and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: I'm happy you like it :)  
+ dark-driex-07: I plan on putting some flashbacks/explanations soon about what happened before with Aokiji and Andy hehe. The way I see it, Akainu wouldn't really care about her past in that way if it wasn't for the fact it was Aokiji  
+ 18KmPerHour: I'm anticipating it too :o

Please let me know what you like and enjoy!

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 93: Into the Light**

"So where do you believe they were heading?" the smooth voice asked. Andrea grumbled weakly. Her eyelids felt so heavy and she did not want to open them but even without visual confirmation, she recognized the voice of the light logia.

"From the looks of it, possibly Water Seven." The female marine gave a few weak blinks but could not fully lift her eyelids.

"Then it was very good you intercepted the Straw Hats before then," observed Kizaru.

Andrea finally managed to twitch her fingers slightly to grip the blankets around her. The two admirals finally ceased their conversation and both gathered around the cot where she had been sleeping. "Hey sleepyhead," Aokiji cheerfully greeted just to have the marines around him snort.

"Hi." She looked at both of them before crinkling her brow. "What's bad about Water Seven?"

Both Aokiji and Kizaru looked at each other as if trying to decide what to reply. Kizaru shrugged and sat next to Andrea, giving her a serious look. "Tell me, Andrea-chan. What do you know about Nico Robin and the ancient weapons?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Nami was very antsy when she was instructing Usopp and Luffy what to do when they went to exchange money. Luffy understood the paranoia and took a cautious leaf out of his sister's book and gave out very specific orders to his crew. "Robin! Zoro! You both stay on the Going Merry. We'll send a shipwright along later to look at the ship."

Robin bit her lip in sadness. "But… I wanted to go onto the island, Captain-san."

Luffy sighed as he looked at the archeologist sadly. "With what Andy and the ice man said, it's best if no one sees you Robin. Not that they have no reason to dislike seeing you. You are very pretty after all." The rest of the crew looked stupefied by Luffy's unintentional compliment and even Robin was startled enough to drop the issue of being stuck on the Merry. "Sanji! Chopper! Do your shopping together." The chef and doctor glanced at each other and nodded in understanding.

Turning to the navigator and sniper, they discreetly gathered up a small portion of the gold and walked together in a pack, speaking lowly to each other.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So you're telling me that the weapon plans for Pluton are there?" Andrea asked both admirals with curiosity.

"Speculation says that yes that they are," Aokiji answered in a bored tone. "A reason you staying out of that conflict would do much good is that the CP9 would possibly eliminate you if you were to attempt to protect your brother."

The female marine bit her lip as she contemplated the information. "But what about the leniency I was promised for my brothers? Does that go so easily out the window because they happen to both be in the same area?"

"Please understand, Andrea-chan…" Kizaru attempted to placate the now rapidly angering woman. "That the CP9 are seeking the weapon plans because some believe that having a way to remake an ancient weapon is the best way to defend against one."

"So if my brother or any of the crew is involved, they are screwed?" Both admirals nodded which only made her worry even more. "Don't tell me either of you agree with that?"

"I lent my authority to make the Buster Call," admitted Aokiji who had the decency to look disgusted. "But I wouldn't have had a choice in the matter with who leads CP9 after all."

"What would that have to do with anything?" Andrea demanded in irritation. "Both of you are talking in circles more than usual!"

"Tell us what you know about Nico Robin and the situation involving Ohara then," Kizaru ordered politely while pouring them all some sake. He knew they would need it.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Zoro was dozing on the ship in boredom. Just because he did not completely distrust Nico Robin did not mean he exactly wanted to have a conversation with her. _Not that a conversation would be fruitful anyway,_ he grumbled into his thoughts. The archeologist had kept much to herself after the other crewmates had gone into town.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee, bringing out a small table and chair out onto the deck, she decided to finish the novel she had been reading. Her lips had barely touched the coffee cup when she felt a blade to her throat. "It's not polite to point weapons at a lady," she scolded lightheartedly when she put the cup down. Glancing to the side, she saw some pirates surround the sleeping swordsman.

"We're going to take your ship from you!" the ruffians declared as one of them tried to slash at Zoro but he retaliated by blocking the blow. "What?! You were asleep!"

"I can't sleep with this stench," grumbled the green haired man as he glanced at his crewmate. "Oi Robin! Let's take care of them quick or Luffy would disapprove."

Hiding a laugh behind her hand, she smiled serenely. "It would be a shame to disappoint Captain-san." Crossing her arms as the swordsman's blades clanked out of their sheath, they quickly dispatched the thugs.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"We need to stick together, Usopp!" Luffy barked as they looked around the shipyard. "There could be marines around. We're really not that far from their headquarters after all."

Nami's eyes bulged with worry. "So… a few pirates with fairly high bounties and we decide to frolic on their doorstep?"

"Only until Merry is fixed," Luffy answered cheerfully as they greeted the man who they had a letter of recommendation to deliver in order to get repairs.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So… my brother will get involved in whatever scheme is planned by the CP9 because of Nico Robin?" Both admirals nodded and watched as the female marine's eyes became stormy. "I shouldn't have stopped you from attacking her, Kuzan-san."

The admiral to her surprise started laughing and ruffled her hair playfully. Andrea's heart tightened as she remembered when he had saved her when she was a child, he had done the very same to try to cheer her up. "So now you have quite the overview and see a little of the dark side of our work."

"So what will you do now that you know, Andrea-chan?" Kizaru asked her with interest as he sipped some sake.

"What can I do?" she bemoaned her fate sadly as she too indulged in the soothing alcohol. "My brother will always find trouble and I'm not fool enough to believe that he'll suddenly stop being a pirate for my sake. But… I do have a duty. I may have started as a marine unwillingly but that doesn't mean I never wanted to be one or help out." She sipped slowly and felt the soothing liquid relax her tense body despite her twitchy right palm. "I want to learn all I can so that the justice I deem necessary is enforced," she declared to the amusement and pride of the two admirals.

Going to the bag he was carrying, Aokiji withdrew a book for the still bedridden marine. She held it in her hand and looked it over happily. The ice logia did not even get to open his mouth before she opened the tome with great curiosity. "A book?" Kizaru scoffed in amusement. "You can't learn fighting techniques just from reading words."

The lazy admiral pointed to Andrea's still bandaged back. "She's injured," he drawled as he pointed out the obvious. "And I know how she is. She'd rather have a book in hand than listen to us lecture her and perform techniques she can't try."

"You know me too well," the female grumbled as she thumbed through some of the pages in anticipation. "So… while I heal and read, now what?"

"I'm heading to Water Seven," announced the ice logia. Both his fellow admiral and Andrea nodded in understanding. "The CP9 need to be watched given their leader's sporadic behavior."

"And I'm escorting the lovely lady back to headquarters as planned," Kizaru smirked as the woman stuck her tongue out at him. "Wouldn't want anyone too worried about your injury."

"Wait…" She looked at both admirals with great worry. "Who knows and what do they know?"


	94. Turn Up the Heat

Omnomnom terkiyaki beef noodle! :D

And on top of that, a couple follows/favorites for the story. Even one for me :o

A pie worth of thanks to my reviewers jasje20, dark-driex-07, and 18KmPerHour!  
+ jasje20: I hope this will satisfy your itch :p  
+ dark-driex-07: I go a little more into the relationship with the next few chapters  
+ 18KmPerHour: This chapter will show the funny lengths Kizaru will go when serious :p Anyways, have fun at school! I'll be happy to see your reviews when we have time to leave them :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 94: Turn Up the Heat**

Andrea blew a lock of hair out of her face as she flung the book off the bed. While pleased with how Aokiji had provided her a way to train for when she got better, his fellow admiral Kizaru stopped her from even lifting a finger yet alone trying to exert any physical effort. To enforce his orders, he actually tied her to the bed. Grumbling, she glanced around the small room for her duffle bag and momentarily despaired that it was across the room until she remembered her palm. Flicking it, she watched with annoyance as hands sprouted from the scar grab the bag to bring it back. Grumbling at how easily it felt to use Robin's paramecia power, she dug into the bag and upon feeling the familiar shell of her Den Den Mushi, smiled as she dialed her destination.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The ringing of a Den Den Mushi penetrated Akainu's thoughts as he glared at the two bonsais on his desk. He had given both an impromptu shave to take his bad mood on something that would not have consequences so hearing the snail was a welcome relief. Grabbing onto it, he spoke clearly. "Speak."

"I know it's kinda late but… I miss you," he heard a soft voice mumble. Despite his ire which she was partially to blame, he did feel relief at her no longer being unconscious due to blood loss or pain.

"I'm glad that you're awake, Andrea-chan." He stared at the bonsai, particularly at the one she had given as a present. When Sengoku and Garp felt the need to half-assedly inform him about how Andrea and Aokiji knew each other, he had felt a vindictive pleasure in slightly charring the poor ornamental plant but now he felt a little guilty.

"I wish it was your voice I woke up to," he heard the woman grumble. "Instead I hear Borsalino and Kuzan yammer on about Water Seven."

Akainu raised a curious eyebrow but did feel a bit victorious at her admittance. "So when you arrive, you're first destination is to the hospital wing."

"Duh," she whined. "Anything so I don't get tied to the bed again. This is so damn depressing! I want to train… to walk… to do anything but nooooo. They both are so paranoid! Thinking I'll actually try out one of the moves from this book Kuzan gave me about fighting styles."

A small smile crept onto his face as he could already visualize the stubborn woman attempting to train while wearing bandages. "Anyway, I want to discuss some things with you in person but obviously that'll have to wait." Andrea grunted in acknowledgement but his next words stopped her. "I know to some extent but not the full details about you and Aokiji."

The words that Andrea had prepared to nag about the time it would died before they could reach her lips. Normally she knew that pasts would not be an issue but this was dramatically different. The two actually had to work together quite often and disagreed with each other's personal philosophies and interpretations of justice just as much. After chewing on her lip for a moment, she broke the uncomfortable silence. "I give my word that there hasn't been anything of a romantic nature between me and him for years. The thought of it now is really awkward," she mumbled softly as if embarrassed.

"Alright. I can't wait to see you again," Akainu decided to change the topic to something safer. "I actually got a present for you to thank you." He looked at the two stubby bonsai which, if they had eyes, would be glaring at him. Especially the one he had decided to char slightly.

"A gift?" Andrea asked curiously. The admiral chuckled on hearing a childlike glee in her voice. "You don't have to do that," she added immediately but she failed to keep out any anticipation in her voice.

"It's also to say I'm sorry but anyways, tell me about this fighting style you were reading about. Maybe when you get here, we can train you in it or find an expert." The magma logia was pleased at the happy babbling that erupted from the receiver.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Defeating the thugs who had attempted to take the Going Merry was child's play for the two strong pirates but they definitely did not anticipate the shipwright who was sent to their ship. Both Robin and even more so, Zoro, were intrigued as well as confused as to how similar he was to their ships sniper. That factor of amusement however did not reach Robin as well as it should have. The long, square nosed shipwright emanated an odd, cold feeling when his eyes looked at her. "This ship will never make it to the next island," Kaku had declared as sympathetically as he could muster with the infamous Nico Robin on the ship.

Zoro's eyes rose in surprise. While he had known the ship was in quite the state, he did not realize it was that bad. "So you're going to report back to my captain?"

Kaku nodded and took his leave but the sharp eyed swordsman noticed he had muttered something into Robin's ears before leaving.

-Meanwhile-

Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Andrea felt a lot better. Her hand had twitched towards the snail in order to berate a couple of old men who apparently liked to gossip in a manner similar to that of fishwives but she restrained the urge. Using Robin's powers to reach for the book she had thrown off the bed earlier, the marine looked for the part she had been reading when she got stir crazy. "Learning Soru would be really interesting…"

What she did not anticipate was falling asleep and dreaming of a moment she had always regretted.

* * *

-The dream-

* * *

It had been when she was eighteen. Her life she had known for the longest time was fragile and it was only a matter of time before her heart just gave out. It was why she had been surprised when not only her grandfather had arrived with this doctor but the very person who saved her as a child. The tall, lanky logia had recognized her and waved cheerily while her grandfather hugged her tightly and proclaimed that Kuzan was to help with the medical procedure. "You're not a doctor are you?" she asked the marine skeptically just to have them all laugh at her lack of tact.

"So is this the child?" Andrea grumbled at the old, batty man before her.

"I'm eighteen so I'm not a kid," she retorted at the man who just ruffled her hair.

"I am Dr. Vegapunk and we'll see what we can do for you," he replied cheerily. She raised an eyebrow skeptically at his good nature.

"Nice to see some people can be happy," she grumbled as she let the three men into the modest cottage. "So… what do I do?"

"You will be frozen so that I can perform a physical and halt what ails you." Shrugging, she slumped onto the bed in boredom.

"I'm glad that Luffy is too scared of you to be around," she told Garp who laughed as he held her left hand.

"That's mean, Andy!" Andrea craned her head to see a pouting Luffy. "I'm always here for you!"

Chuckling, she reached out with her right hand. The rubber boy quickly grasped it and cried out at the slight warmth from the scar. "Heh sorry about that. I swear that scar has a mind of its own." Luffy grumbled until his sister kissed the sudden burn then he beamed in happiness. Turning towards the doctor, her grandfather and the logia, she sighed. "Let's get this show on the road then."


	95. Lighten the Burden

Corgi flop is adorable... o_o All my lovely readers and reviewers who have school should take a peek at it :o

A magical pie of thanks to my reviewers jasje20,  
+ jasje20: Hehe hopefully this chapter will satisfy

I was torn whether to do part of the chapter as a flashback but I felt that Kizaru's input/interaction would make it better

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 95: Lighten the Burden**

Startled awake by Kizaru who whispered the oddest things into her ear, Andrea looked grumpily at the cheerful logia who could only smile back. "Oh good you're awake!"

Grunting in response, she looked down to the ropes which had bound her to the bed in annoyance. "A little help please?" she growled none too kindly but the admiral shrugged off her irritation as he zapped the ropes off with a little light.

"I would have figured you would use that scar of yours… or at least that sharp dagger to slice the rope." He laughed at the grumpy face of the female marine as she glared at the charred remains of the bindings. "You normally are more perceptive, Andrea-chan. I hope you aren't getting rusty with that amount of time you spent with those pirates."

A giggle escaped her unwillingly as she thought of her brother and the crew. "Well I never was in danger just now. Back then, I had to be more careful in case the crew didn't trust me as easily as my brother. Or with that devil woman."

"Odd how you believe that you would have been safe with me but yet when you were with Kuzan, you got injured." Andrea stiffened rather uncomfortably with the back wound as she saw the point that he so bluntly had pointed out. "And to think, some people believe that he is the superior fighter… The nerve of those people!" he cried in mock outrage which despite the sarcastic tone, Andrea had felt the full force of his words.

"My injury… is complicated." She scratched at the bandages irritably at the admiral's gaze. "Ugh where do I begin?"

"Don't tell me that you two got cozy on the way here?" Her face became mortified at his words but the expression did not answer the question. "You two apparently have history."

"And that's all it is. History," she grumbled in annoyance at the curious look at the logia's face. "This is going to make things even more awkward and hostile between those two won't it?"

"Nah… They'll just go pick flowers and folic into the sunset together, hand in hand," Kizaru deadpanned sarcastically.

Groaning as she faceplanted into her bed, the cheery admiral sat next to her, holding a cup of sake. Mumbling a soft thanks, Andrea grasped the cup and took a sip. "This is a long story. I hope you're willing to refill this cup several times during it. I had been dreaming about this moment when you felt the need to wake up. Maybe this is fate telling me something," she mumbled ominously.

Holding up a good bottle and setting it on the bed stand next to Andrea's bed, he watched as she poured him a cup. "Well this is the good stuff so just let the tale flow."

Smiling at the reassuring nod the admiral gave her, she took a deep breath to tell her tale. "Kuzan was needed to help with a surgery that would stop me from dying at an even younger age. Under Dr. Vegapunk's instructions, he had used his power on my head to help preserve my brain if something were to happen."

Lowering his cup cautiously, the normally cheery admiral frowned. "What do you mean 'were to happen?' I'd think the daughter of a prominent and famous vice admiral could get decent medical treatment."

"Against fleet admiral Sengoku's wishes, the world government felt that wasting the body of a person of possible power was a crime in itself," she scowled as she flexed her right hand. The scar glistened back at her as if it could feel her mood. "With my grandfather and father's blood in me, they believed that I wasn't destined for greatness, at least part of me could contribute to the glory of the government."

Glancing momentarily at the door to ensure it was locked and that there were no eavesdroppers, Kizaru lowered his voice so quietly that Andrea had to strain to hear it. "So regardless of what was to happen, your fate was decided? That is a rather gruesome way for them to take interest in you."

"And if I was to die, the child of Gol D. Roger would have been sacrificed for the good of the world." The admiral noted that she appeared relatively bored at the prospect of being sacrificed. In fact, she looked rather bemused at the prospect. "I've been told this so many times that I could fill a library with the many ways I should suffer, be degraded or to be sacrificed for the greater good."

Kizaru admittedly was very disturbed at the idea that all these marines could be so harsh. "You're acting as if you were told those things as a child. Surely…"

"Oh yes even as a child, I was safe from the nobles' disdain." Her eyes had clouded at the painful thoughts. "Of course they all lacked the balls to mention those disgusting things around my grandfather." The female marine noticed the face on the admiral and smiled sadly. "Yes even a child would not be exempt from the cruel, twisted words of a sick bastard who had the good fortune to be born in a blessed, noble uterus."

"I'm sorry you went through that," the admiral said sympathetically as he patted her back gently, minding the wound. She gave a wry smile and even grasped his hand for comfort before clearing her throat.

"Anyway… back to how Kuzan and my history started I suppose." Kizaru nodded in a reassuring manner as he watched the female marine compose herself. "After the operation, I felt indebted to Kuzan. That combined of when he saved me from a near rape or attack… not sure at the time and I really don't want to know. Anyway, he saved me back when I was a child and it sort of gave me a case of hero worship for him. Admiration and the fact that I had come into my hormones and was being swamped by them did not help matters in the slightest. "

The admiral nodded in understanding. "Now things click together. You, finally a young adult, and the object of your affection at the time… You approached him I take it?"

"Of course. He felt guilty at the prospect of even a fling given the age difference and the fact he knew me as a child. But being the know-it-all survivor of a death threat, I really didn't give a shit at the time. Pity… Would have saved so much awkwardness if I just had used my brain but that apparently was too much for me. I was high on the fact that I did not die. He is an attractive, kind man that I wanted at the time and was determined to have."

"He doesn't strike me as a man who would cave to the idle threats of a woman," Kizaru pointed out cautiously. The fact that Andrea could be so devious however did give me a few thoughts about possible missions she could undertake.

"I'm not proud of how big of a bitch I was," she admitted softly with shame. "I had guilt tripped him utterly and on top of that, told him that what better person to take my virginity than the one who saved my life twice?"

The cup fell from Kizaru's hands, alcohol thankfully empty, and his jaw dropped in utter shock. "Damn…"


	96. In Light of Recent Events

Bleh... got a call back from the job I had applied to. They decided to keep the job ad going and look for either candidates even though I was in the top two choices... =.=

Well at least I got a favorite and follow for the story :)

Thanks to both of my guest reviewers. I hope that Guest #1 that school is going swimmingly for you and to Guest #2, writing the admiral's reactions feels like half the fun.

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

**Chapter 96: In Light of Recent Events**

* * *

Andrea was lying on her stomach on the bed in the sick bay. Despite obvious progress that she was getting better as well as the evident lessening of pain, Kizaru was being annoyingly protective of her. After he himself deemed her as recovering, he decided she did not have to be restrained to the cabin but his list of demands afterwards was a tad excessive. "You can't be out on the deck too long," he had ordered her when she had happily bound out of the cabin to look out into the ocean.

"And why might I ask?" she had questioned just to be ushered back into the room she had grown utterly bored of.

"I'd hate for you to get sun burns on your skin. It would ruin your lovely complexion and could make you more vulnerable," the admiral reasoned to the female marine who was torn between being vexed and flattered.

"Vulnerable to what?" she had shot back just for the logia to smirk at her.

"Skin cancer of course." He then shut the door in her face, leaving her trapped within the room yet again.

"Damn overprotective superiors," she had grumbled at the book in her hands before the familiar ringing of a Den Den Mushi caught her attention. Reaching for it, she cleared her throat. "Hello?"

"Hey sis!" she heard the cheery voice of her youngest brother call out. "I got a dilemma…"

"That's easily the fanciest word I have heard you use," she deadpanned instinctively before she thought on his words and decided to adopt a tone of concern specifically reserved for her baby brother. "What's the problem, little brother?"

"Well… some of our money got stolen and Nami is a bit pissed off to say the least," the pirate had responded sullenly.

"How did someone steal from Nami?" Andrea's eyebrows had reached into her hairline with the thought of the pirate thief being stolen from.

"Oh she wasn't stolen from. Usopp was." The female marine nodded in understanding despite her brother could not see it. "Anyways, we had several suitcases full of cash… about a hundred million per suitcase in fact!"

"You're serious…" the marine muttered with an startled face. "Damn, Nami must be a better negotiator than I thought."

The rubber pirate laughed exuberantly though the Den Den Mushi. "If it wasn't for her, we would have likely gotten only a sixth of what we earned. Anyways, Usopp got pissed because we found out that Merry won't last to the next island and I had decided we could purchase another vessel."

"Well… the Going Merry was wrecked halfway to hell and back," Andrea commented offhandedly but what she did not anticipate was her brother's anger.

"That's not nice! The Going Merry is our home and you can't just replace her so stop being a bitch and think how we feel!" Luffy then paused to awkwardly clear his throat. "Um…"

"I can't say I know the feeling but I understand," Andrea calmly reassured her brother who felt guilty about yelling at his sister. "I myself haven't spent an excessive amount of time on a ship to develop an attachment to it but it's obvious that your crew loves the ship. Anyway I assume Usopp is upset that the ship won't be able to travel further."

"Screw you, I believe in Merry," another voice added. Andrea sighed into the receiver.

_Great… now he had to come in and is likely going to upset my brother. _"Usopp-kun… tell me, what did the shipwrights say about the Going Merry?"

"That the keel was broken and unrepairable. But I don't believe them. They don't know the magic this ship has and all the adventures we've had with Merry. They have no idea what Merry has been through as a friend to us!"

Groaning at the impending headache she felt, the marine massaged her forehead with irritation. "So… you'd rather your whole crew, three devil fruit users included, drown when a storm happens?" The silence that was on the other line was almost deafening and was exceedingly awkward. "Is a ship, granted a home for a bit, but is staying in it worth the trouble? What about other pirates? The further in the Grand Line you go, the stronger they will become."

"Well Luffy can just fight them off," the sniper attempted to reason but Andrea could feel the fear in the sniper's voice. "And we have Sanji and Zoro too so no harm can come to the ship."

"So you're relying on my brother to fight off possibly powerful pirates in a ship ready to sink? The very person who literally is beyond screwed if they fall in the water?" She heard a small whimper of dismay from Usopp but continued as she felt the lesson needed learned. "So beyond this denial that the Going Merry is worth saving, you decide to let others fight for what you believe in? How pathetic."

"Andy… that's a bit mean," Luffy pointed out but he already knew this tone of voice. _She's really, really pissed…_

"If a house was on the verge of collapsing, would you pour several hundred million Beri into it?" Silence reigned on the other line. "Of course not. A person would buy a better property that isn't in bad shape. Why not this with a ship? If you care truly about Merry, you will honor her memory."

"Honor her by abandoning her to die?" Usopp screamed into the Den Den Mushi. Andrea watched coldly as the snail in her hand imitated the raging sniper.

"So if a crewmate was dreadfully injured and on their last leg, would you take them along?" Before either of the scrawny pirates could interrupt her, she continued. "The keel of a ship is like the spinal cord of a person. Damage to it could fuck over a person and if the damage to the keel is that bad, it really is life threatening to those on the ship. A severed spinal cord is a crippled person so of that with a ship. Also I feel the need to point this out: wasn't the crew looking for a shipwright and when they got the respected opinion of one from the famous Water Seven may I add you disregard it? Best part; is it even your call to make?"

"What do you mean?" replied Usopp in a small voice that reminded Andrea of a kicked puppy. She sighed but Luffy playing too nicely apparently had this effect.

"Who is the captain? And don't give me that bullshit you give Chopper or any marine too stupid to know any better. I'm guessing you stormed off when my brother and Nami were thinking about other ships?" The silence told the marine what she needed to know. "Then you got beat up and lost the money?"

"Yeah… he did by these weird thugs who followed us into the shipyard," Luffy pointed out tactlessly. "We lost a couple hundred million in Beri which steamed Nami but she was a little worried about Usopp."

"…Was she really worried about me?" Usopp asked with something akin to hope in his voice.

"I don't know if she was worried about the cost of medical supplies to fix you up or worried for the sake of worrying about you," Luffy admitted. Straining her ears, Andrea could hear the faint, depressed whimpering of the sniper in the background as her brother turned his attention back to her. "Thanks Andy. Talking to you made me think about a lot. Bye."

As she hung up the phone, Andrea's eyes traveled to the door of the cabin where the exceedingly tall admiral stood. "How long were you listening?" she asked politely as she accepted a cup of sake that he brought her.

"I know you have Observation Haki so you know how long I was here but I won't tell you how long I listened per se," he teased her as he held up a cup for himself. Chuckling softly, she poured some of the liquor for him.

"So…" She took a delicate sip before looking at the grinning man critically. "Why did you barge in here?"

"Oh the crew spotted some pirates heading our way since the ship I took to pick you up has no real markings of a battleship yet alone that it's being used by an admiral. Anyway, they think we're easy pickings. Want to go outside and watch me go kick their ass? I'll even allow a couple that are stupid enough to mess with you to become your training fodder." Andrea could barely suppress a smile at the way the admiral had worded the offer as if he was giving her such a generous opportunity.

"Eh. Not like I got anything better to do."


	97. Flashy Moves and Guts

An ok day but nothing spectacular D:

Nonetheless, thanks to my guest review! I love reviews as they let me know what kind of humor or things that my readers enjoy about the chapter and help me to answer questions or address concerns within the later chapters :)

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 97: Flashy Moves and Guts**

The fight was a bit of a curb stomp if Andrea could be perfectly honest. _He must have been bored as hell at Marineford_, she mused as she watched the tall admiral kick a pirate in the stomach. He flew off the ship and splashed into the water.

"Oooo, I wonder how far that one went," Kizaru commented as he partially covered his eyes in order to see where the pirate in question landed. "I think that pirate's fat absorbed some of the kick," he groaned sadly when we finally spotted the pirate who had no landed too far from the ship.

"Oh stop acting like you're actually trying," Andrea teased as she flipped a page in the book she had been given. She was on a cot, lying on her stomach as to not agitate her back's injuries. She had been wearing a tank top so that her back's bandages were quite visible to anyone who bothered to look but her pants were the standard issue marine pants. Seeing a big shadow go across her book and block out the reading light, she scowled. "Get out of the way," she ordered without even looking up. "This part is important."

"I don't care about some stupid romance novel you likely are reading." Andrea rolled her eyes and looked up at the bulky pirate with boredom.

"That's nice," she grunted while flipping a page. "Now kindly move out of the way or I'll strain my eyes trying to read while under your big ass shadow." The shadow swung his arm upwards with a rather large axe before suddenly zooming downwards. Before the axe could impact with her body, she gathered the book into her left hand. Closing it and holding the book close to her body, she curled forward and used her right hand to push off the deck in front of the axe wielder.

"What the…?" the pirate grunted in shock as the woman pushed her feet against his chin. He lifted slightly off at the force of the blow but while airborne, Andrea twisted around and pushed off against his chest. "You are insane!"

Hurtling towards the cabin, she gave a dry smirk. "Well at least you're good for me to practice something against." She launched off against the cabin and the pirate spun around trying to find her.

"Where the hell did she go?" he roared just to be hurtled off the ship by a rapid kick to the side.

"You learn fast," complimented Kizaru as he walked to the female marine who landed easily onto the deck. "That combined with some Haki could make you quite formidable."

"I think I pulled a back muscle," groaned Andrea who glanced at the now rapidly retreating pirate ship. "Maybe I should have waited a bit longer before fighting…" Kizaru raised an eyebrow at her before she glanced shiftily back. "I meant training. Yes training."

"Or used a less flashy move," the admiral pointed out as Andrea put her hands on her hips while looking critically at him. "Oh come on! It was funny!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"What do you mean Usopp's gone?" Luffy howled as he looked at his crew. Nami looked admittedly guilty while Chopper was freaking out.

"He had written a clue hunt for me all over the ship while he said he was going to retrieve something out of his workshop but when I turned around, he was gone!" Chopper wailed as he ran into Robin's arms. She looked at Water Seven with concern before glancing back at the Going Merry.

"Nami… do you have something to share with the crew?" Zoro growled as he eyed the fidgeting woman.

"We had an argument about the Going Merry and how the money he lost would make it more difficult to find a good ship for a good price discreetly." Nami mumbled as she looked at the crew who just looked at her. "Don't give me that face! I didn't know he'd take it so badly or take off."

"So where would Longnose-san go?" Robin asked curiously as she tried to pet Chopper better.

Blowing out some smoke, Sanji took a long drag on his cigarette. "Isn't it obvious? From what you've said, he likely feels guilty as shit. Did you find out about those thugs who beat him up?"

"We were told that they are led by some guy named Franky." Nami looked down guilty as she held her Climatact in her hand. She had never forgotten who actually took the time to make sure that she had a weapon with which to finally defend herself. "Do you think he actually went out of the way to get the money back?"

"I have no doubt," Luffy grunted as he looked at his crew critically. "After the reaming my sister gave him on the Den Den Mushi, I would have gone myself if he hadn't gone first."

"How could you listen to that woman?!" Robin asked with anger as she held Chopper to her body tightly. "Being involved with her puts us all in danger!"

"No Robin, being pirates puts us in danger. Her being a marine is pointless to threatening us as my grandfather is Monkey D. Garp. Zoro and I having a bounty already put is in danger before we even met you. You've had a bounty for how long and now you worry about danger." He edged in close to Robin and took Chopper out of her arms before placing him onto the deck. The reindeer looked worriedly at the two paramecia. "I will take care of my nakama Robin and don't forget you are my nakama." The raven haired woman gasped as Luffy approached her even closer to hug her. "But Andy is still my sister and I love my sister just like I love my nakama."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Usopp opened the door to the Franky House with apprehension as he looked around. The thugs were partying it up and he noticed with a grimace that the males were wearing rather constricting speedos. Approaching a cloaked figure who sat on a chair akin to a throne, the lying sniper cleared his throat. Almost immediately, the dancing and music stopped as everyone stared at the scrawny man who dared interrupt their good time. The bulky man under the cloak leaned forward and Usopp noted the large arms with apprehension. "What do you want, Long Nose?"


	98. A Light Bit of Fanservice

I had a little too much fun writing this chapter :D Whoo a new follow too!

A thanks to reviewer jasje20. I'm glad you enjoyed :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 98: A Light Bit of Fanservice**

Robin stood over the bloody but bandaged Iceburg with worry. Luffy glanced at her in concern as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "They can't blame you, Robin. You were with us the entire time."

"So why…?" she stammered as she looked at the injured man who tried to give a kind smile but the pain of his wounds was getting to him. "Why would someone attempt to frame me?"

"I'd hate to interrupt this party but if we stay any longer, his workers will be upset with us," Nami pointed out with worry as she glanced at Kalifa who was glaring at them for disturbing their boss.

"The look in your eyes… That's sexual harassment!" she accused Nami who crossed her arms under her chest in annoyance which only served to push them further upwards. Luffy glanced between the two women who started to have a non-verbal sexual one-upping contest.

"I apologize for any trouble someone took to injure you," Robin mumbled an apology to the injured mayor of Water Seven. He gave her an inquisitive look before barking over to Kalifa.

"I wish to talk to Nico Robin alone." Luffy and Nami gave each other a cautious glance before nodding and leaving the room. Kalifa glared at the archeologist before stalking off after the pirate captain and the navigator, closing the door behind her. Iceburg looked at Robin curiously before speaking up, "I know why I was attacked so now I want to know, do you know why I was attacked?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea woke up with a puzzled expression and her scarred palm aching. She felt the need to call her little brother but resisted. _He's a pirate captain now, not just my baby brother… I got to let him develop independence,_ she thought with a sulk as she dragged herself out of the bed. Kizaru had finally allowed her to have a normal cabin which thankfully came with a softer bed, fluffy sheets, and no bad tasting medicine. Opening the door, she shielded her eyes as she looked out into the bright sun.

The various marines on the ship greeted her cheerily. Nodding politely and smiling at them, she walked around the deck until she saw the bored admiral lounging on the deck. "Good morning, Andrea-chan!"

Chuckling, she gave a one armed hug to the admiral who felt too lazy to get up and greet her properly. "Morning Borsalino-san. Rather warm morning today."

"Yup. We are about a day away from headquarters thankfully. I really want some decent food," he grumbled as he threw a biscuit overboard into the water. Sure enough, a fish leapt out of the water to eat the biscuit then choked midair on it and fell into the ocean. The marines who witnessed the fish sweatdropped at the scene before returning to work.

"Damn… I thought I had the shit food," she mumbled as she was eating what the cook who doubled as the ship's doctor had dubbed a 'medical pancake'. Although doughy and made her feel like she was licking cotton every time she swallowed a bite, it did lessen how much blood seeped out of her back wounds.

"Give me a piece of that," the admiral ordered as he took a piece of the pancake without asking. Putting it in his mouth, he sputtered at the bland task and his eyes bugged behind the glasses. Gagging, he spat it out at the speed of light overboard. A sea king was swimming along when the doughy bite hit it and the poor creature sank.

Andrea tilted her head as she looked at the unfortunate creature before staring down at the pancake. "I really put that in my mouth…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy stared down the speedo wearing cyborg in front of him with annoyance. "Are you going to help us with that old man Icey or not?"

"Bah! Why do I care if Stupid-Berg has been attacked? It's what he deserves for rolling over for the World Government all the time," Franky retorted in annoyance. "He's not a super person to be around."

Luffy scowled before staring at the swim pants wearing individual. "It's important! If we don't expose who tried to kill him, my nakama is in danger!"

"So because of your friend of whatever, the mayor of this town is in danger?" Luffy held Franky's gaze but the cyborg shrugged at the pirate's lack of response. "I may not like that idiot of mayor but this is still my home and I don't appreciate you stirring up trouble."

Luffy looked down at the cyborg in annoyance before cracking his knuckles. "I was just going to ask for your help nicely but… seeing as you decided to beat up Usopp when he went to you the other day…" Luffy stretched back his fist before hurtling it towards Franky's face and he winced slightly upon impacting the ship dissembler's nose.

Franky did not take this insult lightly and grabbed onto the rubber man's arm and flung him into a shipyard. With a smirk, he noted that it was the Galley-La Company's ship dock and that smirk only grew wider when he realized it was Dock 1 in fact. "Ow! This will be a suuuuper fight!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin sat with Iceburg nervously and rather twitchily considering the conversation that was going on. "We've sat here sipping coffee all night and morning but you have yet to disclose what you know. Why is that, Nico Robin?"

Attempting to compose herself, the archeologist sipped the coffee daintily. "I don't want to put my crew in danger but it seems we're at risk of being targeted. I'm sure you know the feeling, Mayor-san."

Iceburg's face soured at the words as he put down his coffee cup. "You certainly are well informed despite how long you've been on the run."

Robin shrugged noncommittally as she stood up and looked out the window of the room. "You develop this skill when you're pursued unfairly from a young age and it only gets honed with time. When it dulls slightly, recent events only serve to resharpen those skills."

"You look bitter. A betrayal?" Robin bit her lip as she placed a hand on the pane of the window's glass.

"I knew this person had intended to have me brought to justice but was only held back due to familial obligations and the fact she was weaker but meeting with an admiral lately has put things back into perspective. Idly running and bailing on this crew is not an option I have."

"You did not try to make a deal with the government? To be able to have control over you surely would be quite a prize," Iceburg pointed out just to have a half hearted glare pointed at him.

"And offer what? The crew to some extent is already under protection," Robin admitted softly. She felt like tears were gathering in her eyes and there was nothing she could do. "If anything, I am putting them in danger."

Iceburg shook his head at the stubborn archeologist and she looked at him in surprise when he handed her a folded paper with numbers written in it. Unfolding the worn paper, she found herself staring at her younger self, complete with bounty. Before Robin could ask, Iceburg pressed a finger against her lips to silence her. "I believe your captain or that navigator of your crew has thought of a plan." The archeologist nodded silently and the mayor smiled. "This is a part of that plan so please keep this paper to yourself and you'll know when it's important. Trust your captain's judgment as I believe he has everyone's best interest in mind."

Laughing serenely for the first time in days, she folded up the paper and stuck it in her bosom. Iceburg chuckled at the not so unique but effective hiding spot when the door burst open and a frantic Kalifa dashed in. Before she could catch her breath, she glared slightly at Iceburg for staring at the pirate woman's cleavage before clearing her throat and addressing her boss. "There is trouble in Dock 1. The Straw Hat captain as well as Franky is involved."

Iceburg looked with worry at Robin who stared blankly back. Knowing he would not be able to leave his room with the overprotective secretary, he walked weakly over to his window. Opening the window, he held a hand out towards Robin. "You need to help handle this. Use the window. It's the fastest way." The archeologist nodded and dashed out the window before using her power to cautiously land on the ground. Iceburg turned towards Kalifa who harshly glared at him critically while adjusting her glasses.

"The way you looked at her legs when that dress flopped up… that was worthy of sexual harassment," she declared with annoyance just to the mayor's confusion.


	99. Peace, Quiet, Tranquility – What?

Horrible day today - received the bill for my hospital stay from a month ago which really was the worse medical service I ever received and not only is it an insane amount but due in two weeks -.- My parents will likely help with the payment but I feel horrible since they are in an area that is receiving a lot of flooding lately D: *sigh*

Oh well, onto happier stuffs - FFN has been undergoing some updates and fixes so if anyone had difficulty accessing this story, leaving reviews or whatever, they recommend to either clear your cache or exit your browser and log in/out.

And yay another favorite for the story :)

Regardless, I am happy for reviews! Thanks jasje20 for liking the story and letting me know :D

* * *

**Chapter 99: Peace, Quiet, Tranquility – What?**

Kizaru took a deep breath of the salty, sea air as he leaned over the railing of his ship. With his sharp eyes, he had caught sight of headquarters and sighed with relief. Watching over his charge normally would not be such a burden but with her injured and on top of it, missing his friend, he felt very uncomfortable when she got in what he referred to as her moods. A door shutting loudly snapped the admiral out of his musing and he turned around to see the agitated female marine. "Oh Andrea-chan, you look lovely today."

"Morning," she grumbled as she looked out into the ocean and she squinted on the horizon. "Are we there yet?"

"Pretty close actually," the logia chirped rather happily as he pointed down the horizon. "How long has it been since you were here?"

"Years and years," she admitted wistfully as she thought in on those memories. "But that was on my grandfather's ship with a chef who expected to make lots of food. It was only fortuitous that I the sweet grandchild was doted on and given lots of pastries."

"I miss real food," bemoaned the admiral as he held up the cup of coffee that had noxious fumes rising out of it. "And I heard I have a mission going on after I drop you off too. I don't get to watch or supervise your training at all. Seeing you progress would be a good achievement especially after those pirates."

"I feel like such a useless lump," she groaned as she motioned towards her back. "Anytime I try to stretch, I feel like I will bleed."

"That… isn't a good thing." The admiral then lifted up the back of her shirt without bothering to ask permission in order to check for bleeding. "Oi oi oi! What the hell?!"

"I'm supposed to watch over you, not make shit worse." He flattened her shirt in satisfaction and did not notice her embarrassment or her blush. "Please don't do anything today!"

"Ugh, you're like a babysitter," bristled Andrea who squatted down momentarily before launching herself up into the air. Glancing up, the admiral noticed she had gone up the mast and now was sulking in the crow's nest.

"I'm too old for this," Kizaru groaned into his palm before he took off to look for his navigator. He would be so ecstatic to arrive at Marineford.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Is the plan ready?" Luffy asked Robin who nodded slightly. Satisfied, he looked at the cyborg who was, to the crew's horror, scratching his butt through his speedo.

"Close enough or whatever. We got to be careful though. Aqua Laguna is coming soon which will cause a few problems." Nami's brow scrunched as she tried to recall what this event was while the rest of the crew looked clueless. Franky sighed in annoyance. "Really? Ugh. Icebaka owes me big for explaining everything about this shit city."

"It's a weather condition is all I know," Nami admitted in embarrassment. The navigator hated not having all the details about anything to do with weather or what could affect navigation. "I'm concerned about what to do for a vessel however. Our ship may not be able to survive whatever this is."

"That is a genuine concern." Franky looked at the pirates with amusement. "That ship won't last for shit."

"Don't be such an asshole!" Usopp wailed as he flung himself onto the skimpily clad cyborg and tried to beat his fists against Franky's chest. "Merry has feelings and went through so much. She doesn't need to take abuse from you." By this time, he started crying onto his Hawaiian style shirt which only caused Franky to sigh uncomfortably and awkwardly pat the sniper on the back.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kalifa had filed away the papers that Iceburg wanted taken care of before Aqua Laguna hit but she had a small smile that caught even more attention than her unintentionally seductive outfit. Despite the fact that they had to be subtle, she could not help her good mood. _This crazy plan that the Straw Hat captain had only would expedite her organization's plans and despite Nico Robin ignoring the CP9 demands, everything will fall into place._ Her good mood caused her to pay slightly less attention to her surroundings and she dropped her clipboard. Shocked that she fell prey to distraction, she blushed slightly and went to pick up the clipboard when Paulie shouted loudly.

"That is such an indecent pose with an even more indecent outfit!" The shipwright wailed loudly as he pointed. Grumbling that she had been caught off guard, she started aiming some quick kicks at him.

"Stop harassing me!" she exclaimed but she smiled in spite of the situation. _Soon… we can get the hell out of here!_

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The ship docked and quickly, all the marines onboard dashed off the ship in relief. The chef who doubled as a medic scowled at all the fleeing marines in annoyance. "Oh that's right, run away you little pansies! See if anyone looks after your health again!"

Kizaru sighed as he gave the pay dossier to the chef as compensation before walking Andrea off the ship in amusement. "We're here and I have a ship ready for this mission I need to go on."

Andrea nodded and hugged her superior officer which drew quite a few glares and whispers. "Ok, first off, what's up their asses? And secondly, be safe."

The admiral chuckled before ruffling her hair. "I got to check in with the fleet admiral but I don't think you'll see me around for a while. Take care, Andrea-chan!" Andrea waved back to the admiral who took off in a beam of light. Then, she looked around the base which held quite a bit of positive and negative memories for her.

"I wonder what's changed…" she murmured in curiosity as she walked around the dock. She had gotten a few odd looks as she received due to her casual tank top with her marine jacket on top of it. The bandages wrapped around her chest and back were itching her quite a bit.

"Is that my little Andy?!" she heard a boisterous voice boom. Looking behind her to confirm what her Haki had told her already, she saw her grandfather beaming at her in that enthusiastic manner only he seemed capable of. "Get in my arms already!" She dashed off towards him and he grunted at the force at which she arrived but then his eyes bugged when he saw the bandages then remembered that she had been injured. "My baby is hurt!" She tried to squirm out of his now tightened grip just to be hit in the head by a brick when Garp decided the fastest way to the hospital wing was through the wall.


	100. Fanning the Flames

Well despite the prior crappy day, I felt it easy to write this chapter for many reasons but primarily because for the 100th chapter, we get to see someone special :D

Thanks to my reviewer jasje20! I'm glad you liked the story :)

In other news, I will be uploading a prompt for a Shichibukai Luffy. If interested, please check it out but please note it will be updated slower than this story. The title of the story is, "**The Ultimate Protection: Shichibukai Luffy"**

Let me know what you like with a nice, juicy review!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 100: Fanning the Flames**

Andrea had been plopped into a hospital bed immediately and had not been able to get a word in edgewise to her grandfather who was too busy freaking out. The minute he left the room to look for a medic, Andrea propped herself up on the bed and felt around with her Haki. To her horror, it was the same medic that she had endured and so, she opened the hospital wing window. Launching out of it, she flung herself into another window but realized too late that she was now in an office. "Ah… Gol. D. Andrea, been a while."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," she squeaked in shock as she noticed that not only did she fling herself within his office, but onto his desk. She had been too far focused in escaping the hospital wing to notice where she had been going but even how she landed as many papers were now innocently fluttering to the ground. "Crap… I'm sorry! I'll pick them up." She had scrunched onto the ground and the speed at which she had gone to the ground to gather up the papers let the fleet admiral see past her jacket and observe the bandages on her back.

"Why don't you get fixed up?" he asked curiously and noted that Andrea had stiffened uncomfortably at his words. "I'm certain that your grandfather is worrying about you."

"He almost got me concussed while going through a fucking wall," she grumbled before remembering she was in the presence of her superior. "Sorry sir." The fleet admiral smiled in good humor before calling to his goat who ran into the room with a basket onto her back. "I thought you would enjoy this."

Lifting the basket, she petted the goat then looked inside. Her eyes widened as she saw the picture in a new frame. "Sir… I can't take this!"

"I had this one made for you and thought you would appreciate it. We have to be strong so we need to hold onto what we have." Andrea felt tears prick her eyes and rubbed at them slightly.

"Thank you sir!" She hugged the fleet admiral who chuckled before offering her a tissue. "I wish I brought you something… But I might have something useful."

"Oh?" He then saw her pull what looked like a shell from her pocket. "What do I do with this?"

"Punch it sir," she smiled and although confused, the fleet admiral did punch the shell in Andrea's hands. To his amazement, he saw that she was not pushed back although she did appear to feel some of the effects of his punch. "Now watch…"

She fumbled with the shell, intending to demonstrate what the dial could do when Garp broke through the wall. He stumbled onto Andrea who unintentionally had the dial activated the minute he fell and the force of Sengoku's blow pushed the vice admiral through the gap in the wall that he made. Sengoku could do nothing but sweat drop at the luck and sigh over the hole in his wall. Massaging his temples, he motioned to Andrea who looked very nervous. "Take that shell and just go please. I have to deal with your grandfather and this new door he decided my office needed."

Stepping carefully over her unconscious grandfather, Andrea pocketed the mischievous impact dial and felt out with her Haki, hoping to identify a certain someone that she had missed quite dearly. Pinpointing on a certain logia, she smiled and dashed out a window in the hallway. Jumping onto the roof, she stretched out peacefully at the beautiful view. "You don't get views like this back in Foosha…" she murmured softly to herself as she looked over the base and around where civilians had a small town. Walking along the roof, she prodded out with her Haki again and leapt onto another roof but did not expect to tumble into a lanky blond.

"How dare you tumble into me!" the whiny voice sounded and Andrea mentally groaned. Looking up, she saw a face she had not seen in a long time.

"Oh… you're that blond boy that is in my grandfather's care." The blond paled dramatically and backed up from the female.

"You're Garp's granddaughter!" he pointed in fear as he suddenly remembered catching glimpses of her back in his old town after his father had been ousted. The blond looked around fearfully as if expecting his superior to leap out of nowhere. "What are you doing on the roof?" he asked curiously as he saw no reason as to why she would be there.

"I could ask you that question but as for myself, I figured this would be the fastest way to find my superior." Helmeppo shrugged in understanding before lounging on the roof. "So… what's your story?"

"Avoiding Garp. And I lost a bet to Coby so I have to try to avoid Garp all day or I suffer the full extent of the bet." Andrea motioned with her hand as she was curious for more. "I have to take care of the fleet admiral's goat for a month as Garp had that duty for losing a bet to him but the vice admiral pushed that onto us."

Andrea laughed heartily as she thought about how evil that cute little goat could truly be. "I wish you luck. Now I'm off to find a not-so-elusive admiral." The blond nodded as Andrea jumped off the roof, landing easily onto the ground.

The various marines around her landing spot gave her odd looks but who could say anything? She was, just by looking at her, obviously higher ranking than them. Also, there were many obviously more flamboyant and just odder higher ranks so they had dismissed her as quirky yet somewhat normal. "Just ignore me!" she shouted to the various marines around her as she ran through the various roadways of Marineford. Pausing and feeling out with her Haki, she smiled as she felt close to a certain Admiral. Looking up at a tall building, she smirked and leapt high upwards. The air resistance felt minimal to her and closing her eyes, she thought of her brother Sabo. Feeling power collect into her palm, she murmured, "Sabo, watch over me." Flames shot out from her palm which helped control her ascent up the building. Reaching the highest window, she carefully opened it from outside before letting herself in.

"So you're the one who has been leaping in and out of buildings today…" the bemused voice called despite not seeing her yet. The chair turned around and Andrea grinned seeing the magma logia nod towards her with a wry smirk. "You look rather energetic for someone who was close to death."

Leaping forward to hug the admiral, Andrea could not help but smile. "Would I really be the underling of the admirals if I couldn't handle a little pain and blood?" Nodding contently, Akainu placed a chaste kiss on Andrea's lips and held her tightly, hoping she would not see the slightly charred stubby bonsais decorating his desk.


	101. Making Progress

Good day except my niece/nephew that are twins were over... they are dubbed the Hell Twins for good reason -.-

Anyways, thank you jasje20 and the guest for your reviews! Glad ya'll liked the chapter and woot got a favorite for the story ^_^

In case anyone is interested, I am writing a story about a Luffy who goes down the path of becoming a Shichibukai :) You can access it from my profile :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 101: Making Progress**

Akainu felt utterly uncomfortable in the hospital wing. Andrea was lying shirtless on a hospital cot, chest down which gave the marines in the room a view of her scar but preserved her modesty. Watching Andrea's back wound be treated was bad enough but all the people in the immediate vicinity made things much worse for him. To be distant and professional or personal and compassionate was the question he had. Reputation was not everything but both of them knew that they had reputations to keep and secrets to keep out of the public eye. "That scar looks rather nasty," the medic commented offhandedly as she dabbed a balm onto the rather long, ragged scar.

"I know of few scars that were meant to look pretty," chuckled the female marine who winced slightly as the herbal balm stung her back. Her twitching subsided after a few seconds but the marines gathered around were making the injured female even antsier. She tightened reached out with her left hand and felt relief upon feeling her grandfather hold her hand tightly.

"You're a strong woman," Garp reassured her but she grunted in pain as he had been holding too tightly. Realizing what he had done, he relinquished his grip and saw his granddaughter shake her hand in an attempt to get the feeling back.

Standing suddenly, the doctor motioned to the other marines in the room to turn around while forcing Andrea to sit up. Carefully grasping some bandages, she wrapped Andrea's back carefully before tying in the back. "Now you can't do anything strenuous to normal people or in other words, anything Vice Admiral Garp considers normal." Garp groaned at being used as a negative example but when he tried to turn around out of concern for his grandchild, the medic swatted him on the forehead, prompting the marine war hero to turn around immediately. "That injury of yours may have aggravated something besides your previously documented blood conditions and the anemia you have experienced. Tell me, have you heard of the Koebner phenomenon?"

Andrea's brow scrunched in confusion as the other two marines in the room turned around, curious for an answer. "This phenomenon… can it affect her ability as a marine or influence her life?" The impatient magma logia asked while the vice admiral nodded in agreement.

The medic looked at Andrea before nodding conclusively. "Basically the cuts trigger her body to react oddly and in a more elevated manner than how cuts would normally react on a person. For a person, they would heal naturally but it seems that for Andrea-san, her skin around the affected area gets elevated skin growth. The skin looks flakey to the touch as well as cracked. When rubbed away, smoother, younger skin may be revealed but more cuts can agitate the skin again to the prior condition."

"How the…" Andrea just stared at the doctor in sadness. _Great… another way I'm a bloody freak._ "Pray tell me, what is this cursed condition I apparently have?"

"We think you may be in the mild stages of psoriasis. While this shouldn't directly affect your life, you may feel self conscious about yourself and receive intense sensations of itching. Needless to say, you shouldn't give in to that."

"Pity," the female marine replied dryly. "To think that I scooted around the deck of the ship on my back to alleviate the itching…" The doctor, the stern admiral and worst of all: her grandfather glared at her with looks that could kill. "It's a bloody joke!"

"I would think you'd be a bit more careful with your condition especially considering that whatever sword slashed you luckily missed your spinal cord!" the doctor admonished before sweeping out of the infirmary. _Last thing I need is another bloody marine too good to listen to my advice._

Garp turned to Akainu with an odd look in his eye. "Watch over my granddaughter. I have things to discuss with the fleet admiral."

The magma logia merely raised a thin eyebrow at being ordered about. Despite being a war hero, Garp was still technically lower rank him than. "Whatever. I'll show her what rooms have been designated for her use."

Andrea barely noticed her grandfather leaving the room when the admiral's words processed. "What kind of rooms do I have?" she asked, barely concealing her glee.

"Put your jacket back on and I'll lead you to them," the admiral ordered and was pleased to see how easily Andrea complied. A minute later of shifting around her bandages around her jacket then the female was ready. "Follow."

Shuffling behind her superior officer, Andrea was slightly amused to see the minor marines scurry away from the pair. Glancing up at Akainu, she smirked seeing his expression. "You look like someone pissed in your cereal," she commented lightly. She could not help but snort softly at the incredulous look on the admiral's face along with his jaw dropping. A few lower marines had paused in their scurrying away to glance back at the two marines with a perplexed look on their face but a scowl from the hot tempered admiral sent them flying.

"Your wound is more troubling that I was led to believe," the gruff admiral admitted. The words made Andrea feel warm and somewhat peaceful especially considering where they came from. "Whose sword did this?"

Andrea felt relief at the fact she did not have to really lie about it but now she felt worried that what she said would condemn the swordsman. He was the closest to a friend she had on her brother's crew but she could not delay a response any longer or the admiral would be suspicious. "The sword belonged to Roronoa Zoro," she answered vaguely.

"I see," he muttered simply as he opened a door into a building. Andrea noticed that this was the building where Akainu's office was set up. "My quarters and the other admirals' living quarters are here. As you are our direct subordinate, we felt it appropriate that yours would be here as well," he muttered to answer her unspoken question.

"Being in such close proximity will be interesting," she noted as they went up a flight of stairs. "I look forward to seeing you often." The burly logia looked at her with a slight smile and she squeezed his bicep softly. "I missed you, my Sakazuki-kun."

The admiral paused and carefully put his arm around her, embracing her in a one armed hug. "We have to be careful. If people find out who you are, you're in danger or that we are…"

"Involved," finished the female marine easily. Akainu looked down at her and felt at ease despite the fact she was injured and had another medical condition to worry about. "So… my room?"

"Follow me. We're almost there," he replied easily as they continued up another couple flights of stairs. Leading her down the hall, he produced a key and gave a copy of it to Andrea. "The other admirals, your grandfather and the fleet admiral have a key to your rooms. We felt… considering everything, this was the safest method."

Andrea noticed the admiral being rather tentative which was just plain weird considering who he was. "If something bothers you, just say it."

Akainu stared down at the determined woman before sighing in annoyance. "I don't feel comfortable with Aokiji having a key."

To his surprise, she did not freak out in justifying his fellow admiral. What she did was take the key, open the door, and led him in. "This is my space and the key is a precaution yes?" Akainu nodded simply and she smiled back. "Aokiji is just a friend that I have an embarrassing past. Nothing more, I promise." The admiral's worry showed momentarily but before he could speak, she just gave him a light peck. "We all have our pasts?"

"I suppose," the admiral conceded fairly before he pointed to the duffle bag that belonged to her. "We had arranged for your stuff to be brought here. You picked up a fair bit of knick knacks that look quite unusual."

Andrea's smirk grew rather large as she held the infamous impact dial that had downed her grandfather. "Want to see what the rest of these do?"


	102. Our Enemies are the Same

A thank you to my guest reviewer helloiamfrog and reviewers Artemis Decibal and jasje20!  
+ helloiamfrog: I update daily with at least 1k words per chapter so you should get more things to read soon :) Kizaru will be back in the story soon and eventually I do plan to write a story about him :o There really isn't enough stories about admirals D:  
+ Artemis Decibal: I figured that if Akainu did have a relationship, he would be extensively overprotective and if Aokiji was involved, that his behavior would go into overdrive :o  
+ jasje20: Hehe hot, I see what you did there :p

Pretty happy to see another follow for the story :)

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 102: Our Enemies are the Same**

"Franky Family…" Luffy murmured while staring down the thugs on the little sea train. The two girls with odd haircuts and outfits as well as a few thugs looked happily at the rubbery captain. "Galley-La shipwrights…" Paulie, Lulu and Tilestone nodded at the pirate. "I know we had problems but… our enemy is the same now. That pigeon loving bastard is the strongest they have. I don't care how you all help, but he's mine!

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea stirred out of a deep sleep and to her shock, discovered she was on a conference table. "What the…?" Looking around, she was thankful that there were only four others in the room. Admiral Akainu had raised a thin eyebrow but nodded in acknowledgment that she was awake. Her grandfather grinned happily and crushed her into a hug immediately. Fleet Admiral Sengoku merely grunted seeing her finally awake before nudging his goat to bring her a muffin. Petting the goat and taking the muffin, she took a tentative bite. "What happened?"

"You've been asleep for about a day," Sengoku commented offhandedly as he sipped his coffee. "Some interesting things happened since you fell prey to your narcolepsy."

"Oh?" She took another bite out of the muffin and swallowed it. "What possibly could happen that would relate to me?"

"That crew traveling with the Straw Hat Luffy interfered with a CP9 operation," Akainu muttered with annoyance as he reached past the coffee and went straight towards sake. "That Nico Robin however was captured along with some idiot that has the plans for Pluton."

"That… is good?" Andrea sputtered in confusion before the three older men looked at each other with odd looks.

"Andy… you know what Luffy will do?" She nodded quickly and gave her grandfather a look as if wondering how he could not know what she would know her brother would do. "Exactly."

"So let me get this straight: my brother is going to interfere with a CP9 operation then on top of that… likely makes the protection I negotiated for him worth shit?" All three men nodded which made Andrea facedesk onto the conference table. The goat meeped in alarm at the sudden motion and noise before galloping away. "Do you think there is another way?"

"Another way to what?" the admiral grunted harshly despite Andrea's glance. "Your brother isn't the brightest bulb out there, that woman is devious and Spandam is a total moron."

"But this Spandam is the leader of CP9… surely he can't be that bad," Andrea attempted to reason just to be met with blank stares from the rest of the men. "How the hell did he get this job?"

"Don't act like I had a fair choice with this," scowled Sengoku as he put away his coffee. "Things are already difficult enough without that idiot who will likely muck things up. We told him to be cautious due to the nature of Monkey D. Luffy but he didn't give a shit. This brings us full circle as to why you're here, Gol D. Andrea."

She felt slightly uncomfortable at the mention of her full name and looked around the room as if expecting something bad to happen. "So… why was I asleep on the conference table?"

"I found it rude to leave you sleeping the entire time in your room without notice," Akainu mumbled lowly but she raised an eyebrow at the admiral for clarification.

"Also considering who you are, we figured that would be dangerous as when you would wake up, you'd likely wonder around the base," Garp chipped in. He was completely unaware of the nods of agreement from the other two men who were staring straight at him as they would attribute this trait if it manifested in Andrea as coming from her adoptive grandfather.

"So I ordered these two to have you within their sight except at night," Sengoku clarified as he was still marveling over his friend's obliviousness. "Luckily you were only unconscious for a day otherwise this could have been a vastly problematic situation."

"Because their primary duty isn't to guard a dozing marine," she finished which led to an approving nod from her superior's superior. "Anyway… about my brother possibly interfering with Nico Robin and some random hooligan being taken by the CP9; what is going on?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy and Zoro smirked as they literally brute forced their way past the Aqua Laguna. The rubber pirate tilted his straw hat back tentatively and looked forward. "Soon… we get back Robin and pay back those assholes!"

Upon entering the train, he was handed a Den Den Mushi. "Sanji-kun is on the train that Robin is on!" she declared happily.

Smiling, the pirate captain took the snail. "So you and Usopp managed to infiltrate the train successfully?"

"Yeah and those shitty government agents they had at the back of the train didn't stand a chance," the chef commented lightly. "This plan was kinda half assed I admit Luffy. Robin-chawn looked unhappy at the fact she was taken anyway but us dressing as some dipshit lower thugs worked perfectly."

"Of course it would," Luffy scoffed as he was slightly stung by the implication that his plan was not a work of genius. "Did you find that weird cyborg dude or Robin yet?"

"Yeah we found Franky," Usopp's voice could be heard distantly through the Den Den Mushi. "He was showing us how he's practically a walking refrigerator."

"I have to keep my cola cool or it won't be suuuuuuuper!" the cyborg's voice happily chipped in.

"Oh… can you keep meat in there?" Luffy inquired just to be hit upside the head by Nami.

"Dammit Luffy! Stay on track!" the navigator barked harshly just to be whined at by her captain.

"You're meaner than Andy!" he whimpered as he nursed the bump on his head. "At least Andy would have been curious about the meat too…"

* * *

-Meanwhile

* * *

"Why was this meeting called at night anyway?" Andrea asked Akainu as he escorted her back to her rooms. The little meeting between them had been dismissed but they would likely reconvene in the morning.

"Well this involves Nico Robin, ancient weapons and the child of a revolutionary. Not something the world sees every day," the admiral pointed out easily as he reached for the key to Andrea's room.

"Surely there are other things for marines of higher ranks to occupy themselves with," she shot back just to receive a dry chuckle.

"There is a sickening amount of paperwork and bureaucratic bullshit to keep anyone busy until they hit their grave." Andrea looked at him with wide eyes before he ushered her into her room. "Trust me; Sengoku has more gray and white hairs than he leads on. He just hides it well with the afro and hat."


	103. Looking Good

Thanks to reviewer jasje20! I'm glad you're enjoying your daily dosage :D

I enjoy review luff! Let's me know what everyone likes about the story :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 103: Looking Good**

Usopp played with the threads in the fancy suit he had nicked from a government agent. The black outfit was slimming in a way that did not make him too scrawny yet added an elegant sophistication. With Sanji clearing the way through the train and that cyborg Franky had distracted that new CP9 recruit, he was free to infiltrate the train compartment that he knew contained Robin. Tapping softly on the window, he grinned to see the archeologist's elation. "Longnose-kun," she cooed happily as she used her power to assist him in opening the window.

"We have to get out of here," the sniper explained shakily as he yanked on her hand in an attempt to bring her out of the train.

"If I fall off the train and drown, I'm doomed in this storm," the archeologist explained warily then she glanced to the train compartment that she knew contained the more experienced CP9 members. "And they would likely notice…"

"But if we don't take this chance to get away, we waste their efforts." Robin's bow scrunched upon thinking on the liar's words. Before they could speak further, they heard two crashes coming from the nearby compartment. "Or… they could just cause more problems for us. Same difference when this crew is involved."

Robin had wry smile as Usopp fearfully opened the door and the two gaped at the scene before them. Sanji was dusting some noodles off his suit pants while lighting up a cigarette. Franky was stretching his arms and combing through his hair carefully as he stepped over the half-baked novice he faced. Lucci looked over the pirates and the cyborg with annoyance before glancing at the former secretary. "Kalifa."

"Sir?" she asked inquisitively as she adjusted her glasses. Her superior gave an approving nod at her ability to be on top of things.

"When we file a report on this mission… let them know that the new guy was worthless and that we do not tolerate weak fodder."

The seductive former secretary nodded her understanding. "It will be done."

Taking a long drag on his cigarette, Sanji glared down the CP9 agents. "Isn't it odd how the agents of justice are full of more shit than the evil pirates trying to rescue a friend? Even Andrea-chan wasn't this high and mighty on herself."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea sneezed loudly a couple times in annoyance while Akainu looked at her curiously. "Are your sneezes always that loud?"

"Everything about my family is loud," the female grumbled as she looked at the paperwork on the admiral's desk. "Are you really planning to pull an all-nighter over Nico Robin's possible capture?"

The scratching of his ink pen paused at the audacity of her statement. "You are aware of why she has a bounty?" Andrea nodded slowly which only prompted the admiral to continue. "You are aware of what type of danger she represents to the world government and the world at large?" Again another nod followed his words. "A night's worth of sleep is nothing compared to finally closing the chapter on a fugitive being brought to justice and the world being slightly safer."

Andrea scratched her back slightly upon feeling an itch but ceased when Akainu sent her a disapproving look. "This Spandam the three of you know about… he is related to Spandine connected to the Ohara incident correct?" A slight nod of the head confirmed Andrea's thoughts. "Is there a chance that his Spandam's use of Nico Robin won't be exactly what the government wants?"

The stern admiral frowned as anger did grip him through one thing that primarily fueled his passion for justice: the need to protect through justice for justice in such a brutal, absolute manner. "You suppose… he is planning something else for this woman that extends beyond purging her to save the world the chance of being cursed with the results of her knowledge."

"I am certain that if his father was involved, this became personal." The admiral nodded very slightly as he felt how this situation had become very personal. "Let's just say… the marines are just the mouth piece for what justice the government preaches while they have others still perusing what they claim is tainted."

Reaching inside his desk, Akainu pulled out a bottle of sake and two drinking cups. He poured some of the alcohol into the cup he handed her while she reciprocated. "Those words are dangerous, my Andrea-chan. I'd be cautious of where you trend."

She smirked as she sipped the liquid. "I will only do what justice is necessary just as I trust you to do what is absolute." The admiral gave a rare smirk as he nodded in approval of the steel in Andrea's eyes.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Lucci smirked coldly as he stared at the Straw Hat's chef who blew smoke at him in annoyance. "You seem not to understand that only this woman's death can bring the peace that the world needs."

"That's utter bullshit!" Sanji shouted as he brought his leg down quickly on the pigeon owning agent. "Just shut the hell up!"

The blow was easy to block and the dark haired man merely shrugged at the pirate's efforts. "I suppose the government might not eliminate Nico Robin right away…" He glanced at the archeologist who backed up slightly against Usopp upon feeling the intensity of his gaze. "It likely would take years to extract all the useful information that this scourge of the government has to offer." He gave an apathetic smile to Robin which only made her feel more fear. "If she dies in a horrific, painful way afterwards, oh well."

Usopp's eyes hardened to such an extent that Sanji was surprised how determined his crew mate could be. "Franky! Cut the third car loose!"

Franky looked skeptical at first but nodded easily. Kaku glanced towards Blueno and barked out an order, "Don't let Franky escape!"

"Oi Usopp… what are you trying to do?" the chef inquired curiously before the sniper gave him a confident smile.

"Just be ready as it'll happen in an instant." He then threw a smoke star down against the ground which caused the CP9 agents to cough and become disorientated. With a loud clank, the compartment disconnected from the main train with the inhabitants inside grinning at their fortune.

That was… until some thorny whips surrounded the train compartment which kept it technically connected to the main train. "I won't let you all come here! We need to cut the whips," Franky barked to the pirates but before they could so much as move, Blueno stepped up to Kalifa who handed over her whips to her fellow agent easily.

Yanking on them, the powerful former bar owner yanked the train compartments together. All the pirates and even the heavier cyborg were flung off their feet by the action. "Such power…" Sanji muttered in shock as Blueno held the compartments together calmly.

"That smokescreen was lame," he deadpanned as he looked at the pirates with apathetic disgust.

"Usopp! Watch over Robin with your life!" The sniper nodded easily and moved the frightened archeologist further back away from the inevitable struggle.

"Nico Robin refuted the deal we offered her to spare that crew she apparently values above world peace," Lucci's voice sounded harshly above the sounds of the Aqua Laguna. "Don't spare any of those pirates," he ordered coldly to the smirks of his subordinates.


	104. Idle Chatter

An epic thank you to reviewer jasje20! To answer your question, the 'hot' stuff is to come soon enough [within a few more chapters depending] but when I do get to the point in the story that has a lemon, to be safe, I will be posting that part of the chapter offsite. Most likely, it will be posted on Archive of Our Own since I have an account there since FFN is very strict yet odd about the rating system. While we aren't supposed to post the more saucy content, some stories do get away with it but due to how much time/work I put, I'd rather not risk this account or the story so that content will be put elsewhere but I promise it'll be accessible with a link when that time comes.  
Also I have read at school and when my teacher came around, he just looked embarassed and asked me to clear history when I was done

I can promise... after this chapter, Andrea and Akainu are finally past that bothersome, awkward 'are we dating?' stage :D

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 104: Idle Chatter**

Franky sulked in the chair he had been thrown into while Robin was dumped into the next chair by Kaku. She watched sadly as the compartment that Usopp and Sanji were on was left behind even further. The CP9 agents slunk away to their original compartment leaving the two older fugitives with nothing to do but talk. "I hear you are a smart woman, Nico Robin."

The archeologist brushed back a raven lock of hair behind her ear as she turned her head to look at the cyborg. "I have been told as such, yes."

"Although appreciative you did put up a fight, you realize why the two of us were captured?" Her silence told stories that Franky was certain could cause nightmares. "I have blueprints to an ancient weapon while you have the forbidden knowledge. This weapon emerging will cause the end to the age of pirates."

"If I took that deal that the CP9 tried to offer me, the crew would be in danger all the same," Robin confirmed as she looked at the bruise that had formed on her hand. Blueno was not kind in his attempts to force the two of them onboard the compartment.

"The World Government is going to change the world," Franky added with a scowl on his face. His odd metallic nose made the expression look rather twisted and even grimmer than intended. "Odd how the two with the knowledge that could destroy everything, this fragile peace included, have come together no? Maybe that Straw Hat kid has some major influence with the fates."

Robin gave a small smile. "That is oddly eloquent of you Cyborg-san." Franky looked at her and could sense the guilt and overwhelming sense of self-resentment emanating off of the archeologist in waves.

"Just remember, Nico Robin, it never is a crime to exist."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu glanced up from his paperwork to check on the woman he hoped to officially ask to be his girlfriend… once the sun rose of course. She had decided to doodle on some spare papers he had after she had tired of making notations in the meeting notes stuck in his office. To his amusement, half of those notes had been about her accessing the marines noted in the meeting or her reading between the lines. Anytime her grandfather had been involved, she had 'translated' anything he said or did which made a confusing amount of sense. A light snore from the female made him chortle slightly and he ran his hand through her soft hair. "Hey… 'hat's nice," she mumbled into the papers on the desk as she turned her head.

Lifting up her head gently, he saw that the random things she had drawn were now smeared across not just the papers but also across her sleeping visage. A chuckle rumbled out of him as he thought about her attempts to draw. _Your many talents do not include artistry,_ the admiral mused with a laugh as he gathered the sleepy female into his arms. Too happily, she had cuddled close to him as if she just knew it was him. "You are rather affectionate aren't you?" he teased the sleeping Andrea who only released a soft snore in response.

After carefully and quietly opening the door, he held her gently but closely to his body as he strode down the hall to take her back to her sleeping quarters. Thankfully, there were no snooping marines but upon turning the corner before the stairs, he saw a blond male who was bent over the floor to scrub the muddy footsteps. When the young male looked up, the admiral recognized him as one of the youths that Garp took it upon himself to train. The man saluted immediately. "Admiral Akainu, sir!"

The burly admiral merely gave a semi polite nod but his brow furrowed as he paced the young marine. The blond had recognized Andrea. At first, jealousy attempted to grip the admiral before his mind pushed it out quickly. _She has better taste than that scrawny kid,_ his mind declared easily. _I won't be jealous over that toothpick. _Satisfied that one of Garp's protégées would not be a threat to his soon-to-be-girlfriend-if-she-said-yes, he went up the stairs. Before he knew it, he found himself before her door and easily pulled out the key to open it.

As he pushed open the door with his foot, he looked around her room. Curiosity overpowered him as he took in the surroundings. A picture of her, Garp and Sengoku as well as that evil animal that the fleet admiral kept as a pet sat on her small desk. A soft pink orchid that Akainu himself had picked up for her was next to her bed's night stand. A tacky, yellowish seagull stood next to the orchid with a note. After placing Andrea on her bed and watching her curl into a ball, he held up the note in order to read it. "We didn't know what to get you as a welcome to Marineford, so we settled on this. Kuzan picked the damn thing but I insisted on the material. Enjoy – Borsalino." Akainu tapped the figurine then scowled.

_Those two idiots got her a yellow diamond figurine. How the fuck do I top that?_ he bemoaned mentally as he contemplated trashing the note before deciding how childish that was. Placing the note back where he found it, he snooped around her room. Staying away from the drawer she used to store those evil dials that she claimed to have brought down from a sky island, he found a journal.

He felt the pulsation of temptation surge through him and quickly glanced at the sleeping female. He opened the book carefully and looked at the first page. Lettered neatly in long, skinny writing was something that made him groan. "This is not a diary so if you opened it, just put it back where you found it. Yes Luffy and Ace – exactly where the fuck you found it. Not the ice box, not the bathroom and certainly not on the damn roof."

Akainu raised an eyebrow before thumbing through the book. While it was written that it was not a journal, he saw an odd mix of haikus. He also observed her handwriting changing as time went on with the book. Letters that were once round, short and fat had become her current thin and elegant handwriting. _I wonder how long she had this book,_ the admiral thought as he found an interesting page. She had written about her reaction when she was told that she could not be a marine but before he could properly read it, he heard a throat clear behind him.

"It's rather rude to snoop," Andrea's voice sniped behind him. He turned around guiltily, book still in hand. Her eyes were still drooping sleepily but they were sharp with what the admiral was surprised to see was amusement. "Expected girly ramblings and drama?"

"Actually yes," the admiral admitted as he handed the book to her. Chuckling, she held it over her right palm then lazily let it catch aflame. Akainu watched as the book charred then slowly turned to ash. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't worry about it," she giggled as she opened the window the blow the ashes out. "But whatever will I do since you got to have free reign over my room?" Akainu's body stiffened at what she would do if she snooped in his room. "Surely you owe me now, yes?"

"Possibly," he mumbled as he watched the ashes be carried lazily on the wind. "Why did you burn the book? It seemed to mean a lot to you."

"Not really," Andrea admitted as she closed the window. "I held onto it for something to do but now, I got a mission and priorities. Sitting around and doodling or writing within a book won't help." When she mentioned doodling, the admiral could not help the smile that crept on his face. "What's so funny?" she demanded before striding over to her small hand mirror. Seeing the ink on her face made her blush and rush for a cloth to wipe the stains off. "I fell asleep on your desk didn't I?" she groaned as he confirmed it.

"It was rather adorable I admit. I especially enjoyed the observations you made in some of my meeting notes about how several of the Shichibukai were way too stuck on themselves but I admit that the note you had inquiring about Crocodile's past made me wonder." Andrea shivered at the sand logia's name but steadied herself before lifting up her scarred palm to Akainu.

"This weird scar… I learned a little about how to make it work. The power and the person are like two different things I need to synchronize with along with being spiritual." The admiral raised his eyebrows as he did not completely understand but how could he? When he wanted to use his powers, he just did it. "Think of the photon particle/wave theory of light."

"The what?" inquired Akainu just to have Andrea groan.

"Now I feel like a nerd," she groused as she facepalmed. "I had this discussion with Borsalino while I was injured. You'd be surprised how chatty you are when you can't leave a room. Anyway, there are two things I have to identify with and liken myself to in order to use the powers. Then on top of that, I got to be sure of myself. The very few times I used Crocodile's power felt very unusual and unstable. Mysterious I would wager to say."

"Theoretically you could imitate many devil fruit users…" Akainu mused thoughtfully as his mind quickly thought out the practical use of such ability. "The applications could be limitless."

"Could be but don't get excited," she grumbled as she flicked her palm in annoyance. "I can't really use the ability of a zoan with such a small area and paramecia powers are… shit." To demonstrate, she allowed her hand to sprout very small arms from the scar before letting them dissipate. "Don't give me that look," she snapped upon seeing the appraising look at the usage of Nico Robin's power. "It's rather easy to have empathy with that woman but the point is I'm mainly limited to using logia type powers."

Clearing throat as the thought of her being similar to that criminal made him uneasy, he brushed her hair away from her face. "I have a question for you but I understand if you're upset at me."

Her eyes widened in confusion and she tilted her head as if she was a puppy. "Why would I be mad?" she asked before she saw the admiral take a long box out of his jacket pocket.

"I would be honored if you would consent to dating me," he asked politely before opening the box. Andrea's eyes widened seeing the locket which had thin red crystals along the edge and dark black writing.

"My heart burns for you," she read off the locket as she opened it gently. Within, was a space for a picture but also additional writing. "Magma however burns hotter than fire." Glancing up at the antsy admiral, she beamed happily. "This is really touching, Sakazuki-kun."

Walking over to him and placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, he held her gently. "I take it that's a yes?" After playfully punching him, he was pleased to see her hold up the necklace and asking for his help in putting it on. "It looks good on you," he complimented easily and was rewarded with a smile.

"This certainly is a nice end to the night," but her musing was silenced by a kiss that may not have been overwhelming in hunger, it certainly put her at ease with peace.

"And the start to a good morning." It was with a serene expression, she bid him good night and the admiral happily whistled on his way to his own sleeping quarters.


	105. Those are Fighting Words

Sorry about the minor delay... got caught up bossing in Runescape :D

Thanks to reviewers jasje20 and VIVI!  
+ jasje20: Yeah I'm looking forward to writing the 'hot stuff' as much as I'm sure you're looking forward to reading it :p Logia powers open new possibilities!  
+ VIVI: Hehe the Marineford arc will be vastly different as well the two arcs before that but I agree that a relationship would certainly be awkward if your brother was killed by the one you're dating :o

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 105: Those are Fighting Words**

A young rubbery pirate was hanging onto a World Government flag on top of a gate without a care in the world. "This island is floating!" Luffy proclaimed happily as he stared down Enies Lobby without the fear that any pirate who had the misfortune of visiting normally possessed. Below him, the various agents of the government pointed to him in shock at the young pirate so carelessly enjoying the landscape. "Andy would really love the view. Huh… I wonder if she's been here but I bet Gramps already has." He then shivered at the thought of seeing Garp but his musing was interrupted by a bullet whizzing by, barely missing his face.

The agents down below watched with worry as the young pirate flung himself off the gate and towards the island itself. One officer had the foresight to call Spandam but was met with a negative response until the officer, who was up to date on wanted posters, confirmed that the pirate spotted was Monkey D. Luffy. After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, the officer went to attempt to stop the pirate but the young pirate was ignoring him. "You are in Enies Lobby! Surrender!"

Luffy's eyes hardened scarily and he grabbed the officer. Shaking his body, he roared, "Where is Robin?" The officer promptly fainted in the rubber man's hands, leaving Luffy looking at the unconscious man. Annoyed, he flung the body at a bunch of marines who were trying to apprehend him. "Where the hell is my archeologist?" he hollered loudly as he began to kick and punch his way through the men.

The noise and commotion was heard by the CP9 agents who were roughly escorting the pirate archeologist and the rambunctious cyborg ship disassembler. Franky smirked as Robin glanced back with hope shimmering in her eyes. "This is why you're crew is rather suuuper if I may say so myself."

The chains that had been wrapped around Franky's arms tightened painfully as Blueno kicked him rather harshly from behind. "Keep on moving, scum."

Robin however, stood still with a small smile on her lips. "They really do want to save me," she whispered softly but not quiet soft enough.

Lucci strode over to her and threaded his hand through her hair. The raven haired woman winced as he gripped her hair, close to the scalp, and tugged her closer to the middle of the island. "We have no time to waste on the dalliance of devils."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea woke up rather easily but the normal peace and serenity that normally surrounded her normal waking routine seemed a bit tense. Massaging her now hyper sensitive scalp, she looked through the window. Down below, marines were sparring rather peacefully and in a relaxed way that reminded her of when her two brothers would wrestle. Stomach rumbling loudly, she blushed at the realization of how long she had truly slept. "Glad I didn't miss lunch time," she mumbled softly.

Reaching into her closet, she saw an outfit that was set apart from her normal clothing and as if that was not enough to enforce the fact she needed to wear it, she could spot the distinct marine logo on it. Shaking her head with amusement, she pulled the black suit blazer and pants from her closet. Digging through her outfits in an attempt to find a blouse for under the jacket, she was pleased to find a dark red silk blouse. She dressed quickly and found a pair of black ankle boots that she had picked up a while ago which she then also stepped into. Dashing out the door, she quickly collided with a mass of muscle. "Not how I was planning to run into you," the gruff voice chuckled with amusement.

Andrea, who had bounced off of Akainu onto the floor, stood up quickly as she blushed with embarrassment. The admiral nodded approvingly at her clothing before reaching over to smack off the dust that landed on the suit when she fell. "I must admit this is a pleasant surprise," she smiled back as she gave him a light peck. "To think I'll have a lunch escort… I'm rather touched."

Akainu looked away shiftily before nudging the female marine away from the mess hall. Before she could ask why they were leaving, he quickly stated, "You are due for another check up in the infirmary." He quickly caught Andrea who thought it would be best to attempt to dash away at the mention of that evil place.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Excuse me! I'm just visiting!" Luffy cheerily chirped as he attempted to push through some marines who were blocking the next area.

One of them stared back at the audacity of the pirate before attempting to lash out with his spear. "Why would we let a pirate through?" he roared just to be tutted at by Luffy.

"Oh well. I'll tell Andy I tried to be nice," the pirate decided as he shoved the marine into the ground. He whimsically leapt over another one and wrapped himself around the unlucky soldier. "Oh hey, I guess you're my shield!" the rubber man decided cheerfully as he went around punching and kicking all in his way while wrapped around the troop.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"I can't let filth like that invade this sacred island," Spandam scowled as he listened to more reports coming in from the gates. "Surely headquarters has more information on this pirate scoundrel?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea sneezed so hard that her head flung backwards into the medic who had been checking onto her back. Said doctor decided that she was well enough to get out of the clinic and shoved Andrea out of the infirmary to the amusement of Akainu. "You are as chaotic as your grandfather."

"Glad to see I'm not disappointing then," she mused as she rubbed her sore head. "When can we eat? I'm starving!"

"Yet another trait you share with him," teased the admiral who gave a light kiss to the now growing bump on her head. "Let's go. You should go eat with him anyways. I have business to discuss with the fleet admiral."

"Oh yes business. Goody," she grumbled playfully and was mildly surprised when he took her hand into his. "You're really going to hold my hand?"

The burly logia raised a thin eyebrow in response. "You don't want me to?"

"Oh no, that's fine! Continue with the hand holding please!" The smirking admiral then led his blushing girlfriend to the marine mess hall where they received quite a few stares. Jaws dropped, cups crushed and gasp abound as Akainu escorted the now crimson Andrea to her grandfather who was seated with his two protégées Helmeppo and Coby. Nodding to the vice admiral who looked overly pleased at his granddaughter's embarrassment, Akainu made his way to the small table that Sengoku was sitting at.

"My lovely granddaughter, you are a rather pleasant shade of crimson," Garp teased as Andrea groaned into the sandwich that was on the table.

"Just ask your damn questions already, Gramps. I know I'll get swarmed with them eventually so let's get this show on the road," she muttered into a glass of chocolate milk. Garp had a grin that could eat a ship whole.

"How long have you two been so cozy?" he inquired as he shoved a turkey leg into his mouth. Helmeppo still winced at the vice admiral's horrible table manners while Coby calmly ate into his meat as he had experienced far worse.

"We became official last night," Andrea admitted as she finally nibbled her sandwich. Pleased at the taste, she took a bigger bite. "He is rather surprising I admit. Never thought he would hold my hand in public yet alone escort me like a gentleman."

"He is quite serious if you hadn't noticed," Garp pointed out around the meat in his mouth. "I can't believe I'm defending him but if he didn't give a shit about you, he wouldn't have allowed you on his arm yet alone holding hands."

"Huh…" the female sounded over a mouthful of sandwich. "I'm almost glad he got me into the marines then."

A loud clank sounded as Helmeppo stood up angrily. Andrea raised an elegant brow as she stared at the formerly spoiled blond man. "What is your problem?" he roared angrily at her. Garp looked around and saw that his table was getting quite a bit of attention with not all of it being positive. "If your pretty ass didn't want to be in the damn marines, why the hell are you ever here?"

Andrea said nothing at first, opting instead to dab delicately at her mouth with a napkin. Placing the napkin in her right palm, the others at the table noticed it smoking slowly as she spoke. "You don't know shit about me other than my gramps is the infamous Monkey D. Garp."

"And that you're dating an admiral. Odd how your place here apparently is decided by the men in your life." Coby stood up to try to drag his friend away but the angered blond wanted none of it. "That jacket you wear so casually, what did you even do to earn it?"

Andrea swept away from her table and walked over to where the fleet admiral and her favorite admiral were still seated. The two had long ceased their discussion due to the ruckus and watched her with curiosity. "May we help you?" Sengoku asked curiously before Andrea smiled politely.

"Fleet Admiral, sir. I would like your permission to spar officially with Admiral Akainu at our full potential."

The sake cup that the admiral was about to drink he had stopped his lips from touching and quickly put it down onto the table. His reputation would state that he should just gruffly rebuke the challenge but the boyfriend in him was curious why she would go out of her way to request such a thing. His thoughts on the matter were interrupted however by Sengoku's words. "Tonight at 6pm. You have my permission."

Andrea then extended her hand to the fleet admiral to shake his hand before turning to Akainu with a sad smile. "Don't hold back."

The admiral shook her hand but grumbled, "Do you know what you're asking of me?"

The look in her eyes was determined as she turned away and walked back towards her grandfather. He clapped her on the back proudly before seeing her wince in pain and wobble away to her rooms to prepare for the soon to be overly publicized fight.


	106. Not a Normal Day at the Office

Well... I hope today is a good day. Have to talk to some hospital staff about my bill which is far too high for the craptastic service I received but whatever

Always a pleasure however to see the story get a favorite ^_^

Anyways, muffins and joy to my reviewers Artemis Decibal and jasje20.  
+ Artemis Decibal: Helmeppo always struck me as a jealous type especially when stuck with Coby who is the typical overachiever with a a dream, it feels like he would be more resentful of a marine who really doesn't seem to care for being a marine yet is connected? Hypocritical resentment? Maybe but sometimes it happens in real life xD  
+ jasje20: Glad you really liked the chapter and good luck at your internship interview! Kick some ass! :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 106: Not a Normal Day at the Office**

Garp sat on a chair with great amusement as he watched his granddaughter dig through what has been dubbed, 'the dial drawer'. "You're rather determined about this."

"I got called out, Gramps. What the bloody else was I supposed to do?" Andrea grumbled as she pulled out a few dials onto her table. Turning away from it, she started to polish her dagger nervously. "I'm not thrilled and I know I can't win but I can at least prove that blond idiot wrong."

"You don't have to prove anything," Garp pointed out just to be met with an icy stare. "This will make things awkward between you two."

"Things have already gotten awkward enough because of that stupid blond idiot of yours," she scowled as she sheathed her dagger and plopped onto her bed. "It was hard enough for me and Sakazuki to get to where we are and now on top of it, I'm being put on the spot because of me dating him and being 'related' to you."

Garp smirked at the mention of being related. "Scaring the shit out of everyone by proclaiming who your father is doesn't appeal to you?"

"I think claiming you as my grandfather and dating the harshest admiral has done that already," she dryly responded as she shooed Garp out of the room. "I need to prepare for this so shoo!"

Laughing, the wizened vice admiral swept out of the room, leaving Andrea to her thoughts. The female marine sighed as she thought on how her boyfriend would feel but any guilt she felt was swallowed up by the fact that he was exceedingly unlikely to prevail but hopefully she could prove a point to that bratty protégé of her grandfather's.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Heh… Straw Hat Luffy came here and was stupid enough to bring no army," an ignorant marine hollered as the rubbery pirate was surrounded by marines. Luffy confidently tilted back his hat as he looked at the people surrounding him.

"So what if I'm alone?" he scowled as he cracked his knuckles. "Now will you get out of my way or will I make you?"

-Meanwhile-

"Have you captured that Straw Hat kid?" growled Spandam from behind his cozy desk.

"Sir… we estimate about four hundred," came a hesitant reply which only confused the CP9 director.

"What the hell does that mean?" the metal faced man roared back into the poor, innocent Den Den Mushi.

"That's the damage report, sir!" the soldier cautiously answered as he glanced back where the rubber pirate was currently beating down his fellow soldiers.

"How is it that four hundred soldiers were taken down?" Spandam asked with annoyance as he groaned into his palm. _This day shouldn't be so crappy seeing as we caught that Franky character and the infamous Nico Robin._

"Oh sir, damages have gone up by at least hundred or so men by now," the troop reported almost cheerily as if commenting on the weather.

"What utter bullshit is this? One man can't take down that many people! If you have this precious job, I expect you to do it correctly! Now what the hell is the actual damage?!" Spandam screamed into the Den Den Mushi.

Before the unfortunate soldier could reply, Luffy's rubbery fist collided with his face while his other hand grabbed the snail to stop the poor animal from being damaged. "Where the hell is Robin, asshole!" a shout roared just to be hung up on by the annoyed CP9 director.

"Wasting my time on stupid pranks," the conceited man declared before smirking at the rest of his team. "Is Lucci back yet?" He was answered by a few slow nods which only led to him screeching happily. "Show them in!"

The controlled footsteps taken by the four agents were enough to set the frantic director at ease and sure enough, he was greeted by his agents' calm faces. "It has been a long time, sir." Lucci had nodded politely at his leader but the rest of the agents noticed how stiff and aloof the carnivorous zoan's greeting was but thankfully their leader did not realize this.

"Ah Lucci!" Spandam greeted happily before glancing at the other agents. "Kaku." The long nosed man smiled blankly back. "Blueno." The square jawed man stared back which only made the director uncomfortable. "Ah and dear Kalifa…"

"That's sexual harassment," she declared hotly as she adjusted her glasses to glare properly at her leader.

Mentally groaning already at his female teammate, Lucci stepped in. "We have acquired the two criminals that we were tasked to deliver. The man previously known as Cutty Flam has gone under the alias of 'Franky' and is wanted for assaulting government agents eight years ago in the city of Water Seven. The woman, Nico Robin, is wanted for aggression towards marine ships in Ohara twenty years ago. Both are outside the door in our custody."

Before Spandam could be excited, one of his other agents not assigned to CP9 grinned maniacally. "It's been a while, Lucci. That boring face of yours still looks the same."

"And yours is as stupid as ever, Jabra," the zoan fired back coldly which caused their long, square nosed teammate to panic.

"It has been years, five to be exact, since we've seen each other. So settle down!" Kaku snapped at his teammates in a calm, almost serene manner.

The bulky man with an odd zipper across his face unzipped said zipper before smiling. "I wonder how strong you all have become in our time apart…"

It did not take long before each of the respective members that spied in Water Seven smacked the odd man around. Kalifa scowled especially when the man almost looked up her dress. "Couldn't keep your mouth shut and you tried to harass me," she sniped as she pushed up her glasses in annoyance.

The zipper mouthed man did not respond and merely focused on the minor injuries he received. He chuckled as he delivered the results of how powerful his teammates were but of course, there was a skeptic. "How the hell is Lucci able to have a power of four thousand Doriki?! I've never heard of anyone having such a high number!"

"Sounds like someone is envious," Kaku commented with a wry chuckle.

"Don't doubt the power they gained," Fukuro stated with a childlike annoyance. "So if you think about how everyone rates…"

"Bullshit!" Jabra scowled as he pointed with annoyance at Lucci before moving over to Kaku. "Lucci not only has that high ass score but then I score lower than Kaku?"

"Is it so hard to believe that Kaku got stronger?" Fukuro playfully pointed out as he played with the zipper at the end of his mouth.

The annoyed maniac of a man ignored his comrade as he glared at Kaku heatedly. "In a real fight with you, I'll use my devil fruit power and that'll prove who is superior!"

Kaku raised a thin eyebrow but it was barely visible under his hat. "Whatever. I don't care what you say."

"Kaku has the right idea not bothering with the mere barking of a mad dog," Lucci calmly said as he looked at the other agents.

Jabra's temper flared faster than a cat dumped in a tub of water. "So says the wild cat."

The two zoans glared at each other heatedly and the other members sighed. Kalifa put her hands on her hips and scolded both of them. "Both of you! Please calm down."

"Jabra's only mad because he was dumped yesterday," Fukuro revealed with amusement. "Every other soldier on the island knows that."

"How the hell does everyone know?" the angry zoan scowled just to be met with a chuckle.

"Why I told them of course." Any further words were silenced by the angry man jumping onto his comrade and forcibly zipping his mouth shut.

Spandam groaned in annoyance at his agents fighting like children. "Forget about this stupid ranking system. You all easily exceed the classification for superhuman anyway so it's not like the exact ranking really means anything special."

"Oh you're saying that because your power is only nine which is one lower than the average soldier," Fukuro pointed out with a chuckle. The CP9 director frothed at the mouth at his subordinate's big mouth.

"I'm the leader so no one cares besides you know I have a special sword should I need it," the weakling attempted to justify just to be met by a snort from his subordinates.

"Sir, we already knew you were weak anyway," Kalifa informed bluntly.

"You don't have to be so blunt about it," the leader whined as he felt his self esteem plummet faster than Luffy's food budget money.

"That's sexual harassment," she then responded as she adjusted her glasses.

"But I just responded!" the metal faced man replied with a groan before Kalifa gave a wry smirk.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" he answered cautiously just to see his female agent adjust her glasses in that certain way of yours."

"That's sexual harassment," she deadpanned as she watched the director facedesk.

"Ugh…" Spandam groaned as his agents started to chatter animatedly. "I have some gifts I'd like to distribute but first… where is the World Government's hope?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The book that was given to Andrea by Aokiji hit her room's door with annoyance. Although the book highlighted a great amount of techniques, one thing struck her that she was truly curious about. "How does one measure Doriki?" she muttered and could not help but be curious about where she ranked.

She had paced back and forth, staring at her hands in anticipation and fear. In terms of power, it was obvious who would win. In terms of experience, it again was obvious. Admiral Akainu was a clever, devious man who had years and years of fighting experience, raw talent and that honed skill that she would likely never achieve. "Why did I challenge him…?" she mumbled softly as she felt herself lose some of that nerve that she had tried to build up.

Walking to the door to retrieve the book, she flung it onto her desk and was intrigued when it flopped open to a certain doodle that the previous owner had drawn. The snowflake was a simple symbol in itself but why would Aokiji draw that? It made no logical sense but it made her think for some reason as that lazy admiral would never do anything just to do it.

…Right?


	107. Our Thoughts

Good day, good day!

Thanks to jasje20 for your review! I'm glad your internship interview went over well :)

I love seeing reviews and people's thoughts~

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 107: Our Thoughts**

Admiral Akainu was in quite a bind thanks to his little girlfriend and while displeased, he admittedly had to wonder why. Pride he knew was a big part of the values that she was raised with but now she had to deal with something that to some extent she would deal with: reputation. "I wonder if you'd roll in your grave seeing what your daughter has become Gol D. Roger…" the admiral mused with amusement as he looked out the window. The bright sunshine was almost deceptive and starkly contrasting with the mood around the base.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Coby reeled back and punched his friend harshly. "What the hell did you have to say that for?" he roared with anger. "She's Luffy's sister, you idiot!" he whispered softly. "He'll be so pissed if his sister dies or something."

The blond marine held his nose gingerly as he stared at his friend. "Why would she die? Those two are dating and this will just be a massive show put out to make everyone look good."

"Idiot…" Garp walked in and kicked Helmeppo throw a wall. "You really are unaware of how those two are. Nowhere could two more stubborn individuals be found."

"Will Andrea-san be ok?" Coby asked his mentor carefully as right now, he had no idea how Garp's mood could swing.

"My baby will be fine. She's not weak but…" the vice admiral stared at the twitching body of Helmeppo before sighing. "Just sometimes we're better off staying quite or things get revealed we don't want revealed."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Sengoku frowned as he watched and heard the gossip around the marine base. He knew there was no way to intervene without reinforcing the whelp's claim of favoritism or reducing the reputation Admiral Akainu had and the one that Gol D. Andrea was trying to build. _Without letting anyone know her true name,_ he thought with a chuckle as he watched people clean the sparring arena that was nearby in preparation.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace shivered at the sudden warmth that he felt in his heart. He stopped his Striker and looked around at the waters around them and felt them suddenly rage then turn eerily calm. "Weird…" the logia muttered as he putted his ship around. The odd warmth was overwhelming his body before dissipating entirely as if it was never there but the feeling that remaining was a chilling coldness that worried him. "Wonder if something is going on with sis." He looked at his bag and contemplated calling her but frowned. _I could get her in trouble if she's somewhere surrounded by marines._

Sighing, he decided he would call later that night when she likely would be by herself and he settled for sailing into the sunset.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Spandam kicked the chained up Franky with great effort and barely held back the grunt that the pain from the cyborg's partially metal body had inflicted. "Your predecessor caused us a good deal of trouble you see. This current World Government… its absolute justice is too lax! Too weak! Too willing to roll over and not do what is truly necessary. By using you, Cutty Flam, and the devil woman, Nico Robin, only then will peace be achievable."

"You actually believe that the government is too lenient?" the pirate archeologist asked with an incredulous expression. "You obviously have never had to worry about your life and that you might day that very night or the next day. You obviously have never risked your skin for a cause you believe in and to be frank, you disgust me."

Franky was cracking up with laughter at Robin's nerve but the fact that the previously shaky archeologist had composed herself rather nicely upon noticing she was frustrating the CP9 so easily. The other agents observed silently, not even bothering to intervene. Kalifa and Kaku shot each other skeptical looks as if contemplating how to defend their boss but neither agent could really think of how or why to do so. Seeing no one stand up for him, Spandam got angry and backhanded the restrained pirate. Robin fell backwards painfully onto the Seastone cuffs then the metal faced director yelled at the cyborg before stepping on his metallic gut. "And you arrogant shit who had so much audacity! That pathetic fishman stood up for you and your friend was such an annoyance afterwards. Since we thought you were did, the government put pressure on him to reveal that knowledge we all knew he had but nooooo… He goes and makes himself good with the town, the people and even the government. To have the gall to believe he is above these crimes he has committed is enough to make me sick. That scum really believed he was untouchable and sadly he was for the longest time. That clever bastard!"

Franky smirked but Robin noticed a maniac gleam in Spandam's eyes. "I knew that Iced Idiot was good at planning but that is something else!"

Scoffing, Spandam walked away from the shipwright before smirking at the fallen archeologist. "Best of all was the news from Admiral Aokiji about you, Nico Robin."

Robin bit her lip in fear then asked carefully, "Did she have anything to do with this?"

Spandam merely stared back in confusion. "You really must have hit your head on the floor. The admiral is a male."

Franky gave Robin a confused look as in the short time he got to know the rather pleasing on the eyes female, he had figured out when she was being deceptive or coy and this was not one of those times. "So… you tried to use the Buster Call as your trump card which explains why your agents were rather aggressive when I didn't take the bait." Spandam grinned crazily before Robin scrunched her brow. "I don't comprehend why Aokiji would trust you of all people with the Buster Call."

Spandam slapped Robin yet again, surprisingly able to leave a bruise on the disabled paramecia. "Such insolence! Your value is only what it is because of me!"

"You give marines and the government a bad name," Robin taunted with a smirk. "I know my captain is here to save me so I'm not scared of your words. I know there are marines who although harsh, are going to do the right thing in the end and I know that you will not last in this world of ours."

Franky chuckled but that was cut short by an angry director bringing his shoe upon the cyborg's face. "Enough of this! Guards: carefully move Nico Robin and prep her for transport to Marineford making sure to not remove the Seastone cuffs restraining her."

The archeologist spaced out the man's next word as her thoughts were processing quickly. _That Andrea… she should be there. If I don't get rescued, could she be an unlikely ally?_ Robin's mental musing however was cut off by the same thing that cut off Spandam's idealistic rambling: Lucci.

"I'm not required to endorse your ideals or claim these accolades you seem eager to heap on our organization." Robin shivered seeing the stoic agent change into his zoan hybrid form as she could feel the sheer bloodlust radiate off of him.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea sighed in satisfaction at the strategy she had come up with but hoped it would last. She lacked the actual advantage of a devil fruit user and so, improvising and a little sneakiness would have to do. "I'm not going to win but I can put up a damn good effort," she mumbled softly in an attempt to give herself a pep talk. Puffing out her cheeks, she sighed then reached for the belt that she had fixed a couple dials into. "This will be harder since he knows about these but…" she smirked thinking on Helmeppo, "that blond asshole doesn't at least."

She folded her marine suit that was given to her up, she then picked what she had mentally dubbed as her battle outfit. The shorts she wore were very short and a little higher than mid thigh while she wore a tank top. Carefully putting on her improvised belt and ankle boots that she has hidden some dials in also, she glanced into her mirror. "Oi sis, don't forget me!"

Andrea turned around suddenly as if she heard her brother's voice but only saw the dagger sitting in the scabbard innocently on her bed. She picked up the sheath and attached it to her belt but felt a tugging towards that book on her night stand. Picking it up, it again opened to the page with a snowflake drawn. "Elemental opposition…" Andrea murmured softly before she reached out for her dagger. Smirking, she went to the bathroom to get a sponge. "I might be able to put up a better fight than I thought!"


	108. Is It Just Me?

Pretty good day but a bossing trip on RuneScape went a bit longer than expected as it was my buddy's bday xD

Anyway, onto 'slightly' less nerdy news! I am pleased to see two more followers to the story :D Please enjoy!

And a thanks to my reviewers a guest and jasje20! You do get to see the fight and although I was sorely tempted to have the fight be split into two chapters, I decided to be a nice person :p

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 108: Is It Just Me?**

"Move it cow-head!" Luffy shouted to Blueno who decided to block the way to the main building.

"You know I find it odd…" the false bartender droned on in boredom as he surveyed the young pirate in front of him with well hid distaste. "This is an offense on a global scale so huge that nothing will protect you if you insist on this ridiculous course of action but yet you are determined to continue."

"Nothing eh?" the pirate inquired to be answered by the CP9 agent's slight tilt of head. "I'll just apologize to Andy later then."

"You seem rather unconcerned that because of this, your crew will spend the rest of their lives in danger just because you value a dangerous woman as a crewmate."

Luffy laughed heartily before glaring at Blueno. "If I feared dangerous individuals or those connected to things better off not spoken of, I'd have no family!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Admiral Akainu strode onto the prepped battlefield with a confident expression which was exactly what was expected of him by the marines. The men on his battleship however that had met Andrea before the two of them started dating were however noticeably quiet but they did applaud politely for their admiral. A lull in the clapping brought the admiral's attention to the other side of the battlefield. "Wow…" he murmured as he saw Andrea's attire.

Her height, although not as impressive as his, was still above the normal person. The shorts she wore and the boots only accentuated that feature of hers via her legs while the tank top she wore certainly drew even more attention from the various marines around. It almost was as if the marine jacket she was wearing was not even there. A couple foolish marines wolf whistled just to be charged by an overprotective grandfather. The ones lucky to escape the vice admiral's wrath were met by a couple of harsh glares coming from Andrea and Akainu. The female marine smiled at her boyfriend sweetly. "I hope you don't mind but I didn't want to damage that new outfit you gave me with the blood that will most likely come from me. Oh and the fact your powers would burn some holes in it."

The admiral could not help but chuckle as he extended his hand for her to shake. She warmly shook his hand and they walked ten paces away from each other before facing off. "Don't hold back as I'd like to see what you've learned." Taking off her marine jacket, she flung it to her grandfather who gave a cheery wave. Many marines gasped when they saw, without the jacket covering, the thick and rough scarred skin that was the result of the sword slash. Already without fighting, she had gained some respect among the crowd just for having guts.

Andrea gave a shaky smile as she heard the roar of the crowd but tuned it out successfully. However to do this, she closed her eyes and open reopening them as a calmer fighter, she saw Akainu in front of her with a magma fist about to collide into her face. Crouching slightly, she pushed off successfully off of the ground and pushed against his fist with her right palm in order to weaken the power but she still felt the intense heat against her skin. Luckily for her, it was only uncomfortable and intense heat rather than her skin being melted. Sengoku noted her movements carefully before turning to Garp. "Your granddaughter has quite a bit of potential. I don't know of many who can perform a Soru like that so easily while injured. Her reaction timing could use work but…"

"I'm so proud of my baby!" Garp wailed as he watched Andrea appear behind Akainu in an attempt to kick his head by utilizing Armament Haki but the admiral was too experienced to be disheartened by a technique she barely had proficiency in yet alone be stunned by it. Not even wiping his head around, he flung out his arm with his magma powers and grabbed onto her ankle before her foot could get close to his head. Bringing his magma arm down harshly, the admiral hurled her to the ground. The crowd gasped with the realization that the admiral was not taking it easy on his injured girlfriend.

"You jerk!" a random man shouted to Helmeppo who was watching the scene guiltily while Coby was giving him the silent treatment.

"How was I supposed to know her back was that fucked up?" he retorted but in the end, no one cared as their eyes were peeled on the female who let herself land on the ground but her skin was definitely not normal.

She had coated it with the Armament Haki to take some of the shock of the blow yet she tried something completely different that seemed more effective than normal Armament Haki to protect one's body. Instead of conventional Haki who flowed evenly around the skin, parts of it were overlapping, particularly on her back. "She made it like scale armor," Garp noted with interest as he saw his granddaughter launch herself up off the ground and launch a flurry of kicks against the admiral. While her kicks did miss completely, Akainu was so impressed he almost let his guard down.

Almost.

Punching his fist into the ground, a wave of magma surged upwards and towards Andrea. "I am proud to call you my girlfriend," the admiral complimented as the result of his powers soared towards her.

Smiling, she leapt towards the wave and rose above it. "I promise to keep making you proud." Aiming her arm backwards, she released a beam of light that propelled her towards Akainu a lot faster than he previously anticipated. She barely touched his magma arm when he felt the power slipping away quickly so he did the first instinctive thing that came to a devil fruit user when they were unable to use part of their power up close.

Andrea anticipated a lot of possible responses from a man she knew did rely quite a bit on his devil fruit powers but a head butt at such a close proximity was not what she expected at all. Disoriented by the unexpected blow, she barely avoided Akainu's punch but thanks to a sudden flash of light from her right palm and a timely usage of Soru, she dodged and put distance between the two combatants. After rubbing his eyes gingerly, Akainu looked at her with pride. "You are lasting a lot longer than I predicted," he admitted almost happily despite his grim, stern expression.

"So… when will you stop holding back?" she taunted which caused half of the audience to look at her with confusion. Taunting the literally the most hot headed and fiercest admiral seemed like a death wish to everyone else but what they did not expect was said admiral smirking back and motioning mockingly with his hand.

"Bring it on," he sneered at his girlfriend who was grinning with an evil smirk of her own.

"Gladly." Reaching for a plastic bag that she had placed in her boot, she unwrapped it to reveal a wet sponge. The admiral, the audience and even Sengoku just stared at the woman in bewilderment.

"Garp… you're rubbing off on your granddaughter if she's pulling shit like this," the fleet admiral deadpanned as he watched the girl who was practically his own granddaughter hold the sponge out in front of her as if it was a deadly weapon.

"Are you going to throw that at me?" Akainu asked as he raised an eyebrow while looking at the cleaning implement with hardly any fear.

"Better!" Holding the sponge in one hand and unsheathing her blade with the other hand, she squeezed the water onto the sword. Some water dripped off but most of it stayed onto the blade. Tossing the sponge at the admiral good heartedly, she watched it fizzle and burn off harmlessly. He gave her a blank look as she placed her right hand over the blade. He felt a slight surge of anger seeing the water freeze upon the blade, giving the weapon extra reach via a longer edge.

"I suppose I should heat things up," he growled softly as he hurled a couple of magma filled rocks towards her but she smiled good heartedly and charged between the gap. Touching the second rock with her right palm took the heat out of it quickly and she took advantage of the surprise.

But the admiral was used to giving surprises of his own. He appeared behind her and pinned her easily to the now cooled off chunk of rock. As her back hit the rock hard, she had dropped her partially frozen blade to the ground and the ice she had called upon it shattered harmlessly then melted from the heat of the admiral pinning her. _All that preparation for nothing!_ She struggled momentarily by attempting to push Akainu but then stiffened in surprise as the reality of the situation hit her. _Oh my god! He's pinning me!_ She mentally squealed before the realization that they were in a sparring session in front of hundreds of marines sunk in. "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here," she whispered so softly that the admiral barely heard her.

His smirk was not just of triumph but there was a bit of pride when he pressed her more firmly against the rock. Andrea's blush was now becoming more crimson than the admiral's suit as she was starting to get a rather good feel on her boyfriend's body. "Do you yield?" he asked rather calmly but she could hear a slight bit of feeling that made her feel warm inside.

"I suppose I have no choice," she groaned as he let her up. "My back's wound split open I think during that fight."

"I'll take care of you then," the admiral decided. He picked up her blade and after she thanked him, the two of them walked to the fleet admiral who gave them an approving nod. Immediately, he grabbed his girlfriend's arm and escorted her back to the building that their living quarters was in.

Andrea felt happiness bubble in her heart at the fact that although Akainu did not go as all out as she preferred, he did not completely hold back and was willing to take care of her afterwards. That joy only spiked when the admiral paused upon noticing that they were not completely alone. "I've wanted to do this since the beginning of that spar…" He pulled her close to him and gave her a passionate kiss.

The adrenaline from the fight only fueled the dizzying feeling that Andrea felt but then she swayed from a combination of the kiss and blood loss. Akainu, suddenly even more worried than before, gathered her in his arms before dashing off to her room. The female marine could only chuckle happily at the outcome of the fight. "If I get a kiss like that anytime we fight…"


	109. Loose Ends

A slow weekend I suppose but here's the chapter! I really hope FFN won't be weird like it was with the prior chapter and not sending the email out until 2 hours after I posted it... Let me know what you like :)

Thanks to jasje20 for your review! We will be getting to the hotter stuff soon xD

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 109: Loose Ends**

Admiral Akainu had just finished bandaging Andrea's back after applying a heat salve to it for good measure when her Den Den Mushi rang. The female marine was contently snoring into her mattress however and ignored her snail's pleas to be answered. Shrugging off his worry that she would be angry and that he would deal with that later, he picked up the phone. "Hello," he answered calmly yet with a tone that implied if the call was not important, that you would suffer.

"Um…" a voice stammered hesitantly before asking tentatively, "Is my sister Andrea there?"

The admiral smirked as he had immediately recognized the normally cocky voice of Portgas D. Ace. "She is asleep due to being exhausted from a spar."

"Oh. Well I suppose I could just call back," Ace quickly answered but Akainu interrupted his goodbye.

"So tell me, Portgas D. Ace, what is so important that you would get into contact so desperately with your sister?" The pirate commander was silent as he still had no idea who had answered his sister's call or how he immediately knew his name. "If this was a mere social call, you would merely have hung up and tried again later so just spit it out."

"Is my sister ok?" the fire logia asked softly, abandoning any confident or arrogant front he had planned to use against this stranger.

"She had a very rough spar against a foe she was ill-prepared and not ready for but she made the most of it," Akainu answered simply as he glanced quickly at the woman in question. She had rolled onto her side and was now softly snoring towards the window. "Why is it you ask?"

"I'm having a lot of chest pain and it worries me. Twins have a weird connection ya know and I want to make sure she's alright." The admiral's curiosity got the better of him but by merely glancing at the sleeping woman, he had no idea of whether or not there was something wrong. Surely if she was in even more pain, she would have let him know right?

Cursing under his breath, the admiral gently rolled Andrea onto her back to check to see if she had been hit in the chest during the battle but she was being rather difficult. She started to flail her arms and curse sleepily which made Ace chuckle goodheartedly. Giving up for the moment, Akainu picked up the receiver. "I'll make sure she is fine but I looked her over myself earlier. I'll have her call you back." Ace clucked happily but then the admiral's next words made the naturally high heat in his body freeze up. "If you'd also like, you may talk to your grandfather…"

The click of the receiver being hung up reverberated. In the quiet stillness of Andrea's room, it sounded like the roar of the audience at the spar earlier yet the sound did not bother Akainu. The admiral smirked at the hung up snail before going over to the contently sleeping female and attempting to open her shirt to see if by chance, he hit her there during the fight.

* * *

-Andrea's Dream-

* * *

Andrea was swinging her legs over the giant gate she was sitting on top of. She felt like a child, playing with the fancy threads of the suit she had been given yet the marine jacket she was wearing on top of her suit signified she was not a mere child. "Rather impressive battle isn't it, sister?" Andrea turned her head to see Sabo sitting next to her, watching the battle with a bored face.

"You're just mad you can't participate," she teased lightly but she saw the sadness on her brother's face. He tugged on her arm however and pulled her off the gate. "What the hell, Sabo! I'm going to fall."

"Just think that you'll float and you will," he chided Andrea lightly before motioning for her to follow. Floating in mid air confused as to how to move around, she made swimming motions towards him just to receive a laugh but no advice as to how to actually move around.

"Where are we going?" she called out with fear she followed her brother. He had stopped however and looking down, she saw her youngest sibling. "What's up with Luffy?" she pondered before looking towards where he was looking.

"Please help me!" Nico Robin was screaming at the top of her lungs. "I don't want to die! I want to go with the crew and live!" Even as a projection, spirit or whatever the hell this was that Andrea was experiencing, she was touched by Robin's fear and hope with which she spoke.

Behind the archeologist however, was a sight that made the blood in Andrea's veins run cold. The CP9 agents were standing behind her, grinning menacingly at the pirate captain. "Sabo…" the spiritual form of her dead brother glanced at her curiously. "I know that man." She pointed to the one with the bird on his shoulder, standing comfortably aloof and cocky.

She tried to jump to where Luffy was, but all she felt was Sabo reach her arm and push her back and out of her dream.

* * *

-Back in Marineford-

* * *

As Andrea opened her eyes, she stared up at a now crimson admiral who had her shirt unbuttoned and had been wiping salve over her chest where the skin had been slightly reddening. "Well I suppose I wasn't felt up without good reason," she cheeked wearily as she moved the admiral's hand out of the way. "May I ask why you didn't wait for me to simply awake before doing whatever you decided to do?"

"Portgas D. Ace called as he had been experiencing an odd pain in his chest and was adamant to contact you to see if something was wrong." Andrea's eyes bulged at the mention of her twin and she touched the skin on her chest lightly, wincing slightly.

"You actually talked to my brother without threatening him?" she asked with awe just to be snorted at.

"I can be civil I'll have you know," Akainu grumbled just to receive an affectionate kiss from his girlfriend.

"I have a quick question though…" she mumbled so softly that he had to strain to hear her. After an inquisitive eyebrow raise, she finally got the guts to ask. "Just how dangerous is Rob Lucci?"


	110. A Step in that Direction

Good day and I managed to get my stupidly high hospital bill taken care of but then a jack ass honked at me while I was in the parking lot. I had barely turned on my car when I get honked on to leave my spot. Like seriously? -.-

Anyways, my bitching aside thanks to jasje20, Guest, and helloiamfrog for your reviews!  
+ jasje20: I'm sure you can guess what is in the next chapter! As I've mentioned before, I will post the lemon on Archive of Our Own, making sure there is a link in my profile. The lemon will take place before the chapter that will be posted and hence, will not be counted in my minimum 1k+ word count.  
+ Guest: Yup things will start to get chaotic  
+ helloiamfrog: Glad you like it :)

Without further delay, please enjoy and remember, the next chapter's lemon will be posted offsite and take place between this chapter and the next so skipping the lemon will not deny you plot!

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 110: A Step in that Direction**

Andrea did not notice the odd glances she was getting as she was running through Marineford. Truthfully she did not know even why she was running but her head was hurting. Thinking about her family was making her head pound horrifically. When Akainu accelerated, he grabbed onto her wrist harshly. She twisted back, about to strike on mere instinct when his calm words interrupted her train of thought. "Your blouse is still half open, Andrea-chan."

Looking down in mortified horror, she noticed that indeed her blouse was still halfway unbuttoned, exposing a good portion of her chest and part of her stomach. Blushing, she turned towards Akainu to hide while she buttoned her shirt. His chuckle rumbled through her body but she only felt more shame at the fact so many saw her. "Why didn't you tell me?" she wailed as she shivered in embarrassment within his arms.

"Personally, I thought you would feel it and that I wouldn't have to point out the obvious," the admiral stated simply in an attempt to placate his girlfriend but at that instant, the last person either of them wanted to see walked around the corner. Like radar, Andrea zeroed in on the blond protégé of Garp.

"You…" she roared in a cold voice. Helmeppo froze momentarily until he noticed an enraged female run after him. Survival instincts kicking in, the young marine did the only thing he could do.

Run and run very quickly. "Why the hell are you after me?" he protested loudly as he barely avoided a punch aimed for where he was a few seconds ago. Andrea's fist had hit the ground and caused a small but deep crater where it hit. The failure to hit the lanky marine did not bother her in the slightest as her head tilted harshly up to where he had run to. Without missing a beat, she dashed after him.

Akainu just watched the scene calmly but with a bit of confusion. Sengoku who had noticed the commotion motioned over to the magma admiral who strode towards him inquisitively. "You'll need to restrain her. We're hearing quite a bit of news from Enies Lobby."

"Oh?" Akainu answered neutrally but yet he knew that was where the Straw Hat was according to a mixture of information from his own sources and from Andrea herself. "Funny enough, she inquired about Rob Lucci and is expressing doubts about the CP9's motives."

"Even more reason," the fleet admiral muttered with a sense of finality as he turned away from the admiral.

Sighing, Akainu strode off towards where his girlfriend was currently pursuing her prey. Every so often he would pause to try to get a sense of where they were but the random shrieks gave a good indication of where to go as well as the random hole in a road or tree. "This better not come out of my pay," the admiral grumbled as he noticed a wrecked cart with an incensed owner. When the owner charged the admiral, he held up his hands and just muttered, "Just charge it to Monkey D. Garp's miscellaneous damages account."

The owner merely sighed with resignation before attempting to gather the foodstuffs that had fallen onto the ground. "That's like the third time this month I've had to do that."

Sweatdropping slightly at hearing how bad Garp was with damaging public property, the admiral continued on the path to find his angry girlfriend and the unfortunate victim. He finally had reached a tree where the frantic blond was pinned by what looked like icicles. The tree itself looked charred in a manner pleasing to the admiral as he noticed his girlfriend's curled fist. Her right palm had a faint glow and he saw magma coating it, reminding him of his own fighting style. Stepping on a twig to intentionally draw her attention and ire, Akainu was soon staring down her blazing eyes. "Don't interrupt me! I'm almost done with this asshole!"

Pulling the slightly smaller marine to him, he pressed a deep kiss to her that despite her fury, she hummed contently as she melted into the kiss. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the lavender haired youth that was friends with Helmeppo come out of the clearing to release his fellow marine. Still kissing her, he steered Andrea out of the line of sight of the two younger marines and had unintentionally backed her into a tree. She groaned slightly at the contact with her injured back but was still enjoying her admiral's attentions far too much to pay attention for long. "It is odd seeing you so aggressive," Akainu growled possessively as he held her close to him.

Andrea noticed how his eyes were glowing as if they were magma themselves. "You're rather heated I must say," she chuckled as he placed a line of kisses along her jaw. Simply surrendering to the nice feeling, she tilted her head back happily to let him continue the ministrations.

"You using a portion of my power, even for just a little, stirs something in me." Andrea blinked inquisitively at the admiral's admittance and smiled softly. "It makes us feel more…"

"Connected," Andrea finished as she met Akainu's lips suddenly. The kiss was rougher than their others have been and felt a bit more primal and simple. The feeling and tension between the two of them felt like an explosion waiting to happen. "Sakazuki-kun…" she whimpered slightly when he pulled away to look at the ruffled woman in his arms.

"Somewhere more private would be preferred," he growled down at his girlfriend who nodded happily. Taking her within his arms, he moved quickly back to their living quarters with haste.

Helmeppo and Coby were glancing at the two intimidating marines with equal amounts of fear, awe, and disgust. The blond turned towards his friend and pointed at the tree where the two had been making out. "If they were doing that there… do you realize what they'll do on the base?"

Coby scowled at his friend with annoyance. "Just be glad he intervened or you would have just been a stain on that tree over there!" He pointed towards where Helmeppo had been pinned moments ago.

"You're acting so high and mighty because you didn't have to dodge a magma fist while pinned to a tree," the blond retorted in anger as they started walking slowly and cautiously back to base.

They did not get far when a storekeeper in front of a demolished cart recognized Helmeppo from earlier and flagged him down angrily. Coby already sighed and reached for the forms that he had been tasked by Fleet Admiral Sengoku to carry at all times. "How much damage was done?" he asked softly as he tuned out his friend's whining.


	111. The Result

Yay another story follow :D

Well, the long awaited lemon is here but yet not here! Make sure if you do want to read the lemon, to go to my Archive of my Own profile linked within my FFN profile. I won't take the risk of posting the lemon here as I don't want the story to get removed or me to get in trouble! If you do decide to skip the lemon, you miss no plot but yes, they do have sex

If you do want to read the lemon, go to my profile and find where I post a rough summary of Andy's Perils! Under look for Chapter 111 Lemon and click! :D

Thank you jasje20 for reviewing and yes, the moment you waited for is here :p There will probably be more in the future but for now, this will have to do :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 111: The Result**

Spandam was yanking Robin up the stairs to get her across the Bridge of Hesitation but the paramecia was being more stubborn than he anticipated. Upon finding out that the female had actually developed a bond with her crew, he had thought to use that against her but at every step of the way, she had resisted. Even tugging away from him now when things were looking dire only added to his ire. "Hurry up, you stupid woman!" Spandam began to fumble in his pockets to look for the Den Den Mushi to contact his agents with. "How the hell did these pirates follow us so far anyway…?"

Robin smirked as she looked up at the irritated CP9 director. "You were a fool to underestimate my nakama."

Scowling in annoyance, the government agent ignored the pirate archeologist and spoke into the Den Den Mushi within his hand. "Oi CP9! Please respond! Do you all realize how far pirates have gone into Enies Lobby?" Silence reigned but Robin felt something ominous was about to happen. "Why the hell isn't anyone responding? Answer damn it all!"

"You fool!" howled Robin as she backed away cautiously from the metal faced director.

Spandam stared at the Golden Den Den Mushi in his hands with a pure fear in his heart.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

A freshly showered Akainu and Andrea had departed the admiral's room in noticeably good spirits but all the marines were moving about in a panic. Continuing past the minor troops, Akainu barked to an officer randomly. "What's the situation?"

"A Buster Call was issued from Admiral Aokiji!" Akainu and Andrea looked at each other with confusion. The soldier took the time to leave to prepare his ship while Andrea still looked conflicted.

"The likelihood of Aokiji using a Buster Call is slim…" Andrea mused as she followed Akainu to where the Fleet Admiral's office was.

"It's not going to get any better," Akainu warned as he held the door open for his girlfriend. Sengoku glanced at the two of them momentarily in acknowledgement but it was obvious that things were tense.

"…Why? I know what a Buster Call is and the fact that the most passive and lax admiral out of them all summoned one is concerning is it not?" Andrea shot back but Sengoku's words made fear creep up her spine.

"The call is from Enies Lobby." Immediately both men were on edge as the female's eyes had a pained faraway look.

"Luffy…" Andrea then promptly fainted but Sengoku's pet goat was there to break the fall. After bleating peacefully, the two men knew that they had a lot to prepare for.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"I can't believe I triggered the Buster Call!" Spandam's voice wailed pathetically across the speakers in Enies Lobby. The various marines and lower government agents looked at each other in concern.

"You must cancel the Buster Call immediately!" a female voice pleaded with fear laced in her tone. While the marines may not recognize the frantic voice, the other CP9 agents as well as the Straw Hat pirates recognized Robin's voice. "Don't you realize the consequences?"

The sound of a slap reverberated around the speakers. All the CP9 agents halted their fights, transfixed, while the Straw Hat pirates listened carefully as they worried about their friend. The marines around Enies Lobby however heard Buster Call and were close to panicking especially with Spandam's next words. "You really think you could order me around? Bring on the Buster Call! Nothing is wrong with a little power on our side." Everyone looked at each other with irritation in their eyes.

Even Lucci sighed mentally despite the fact he should not have lowered his guard in front of Monkey D. Luffy. _The boss is a total idiot…_

The metal faced director however plowed on amazingly unaware of that his words were being broadcast across the entire island. "As the leader of CP9, I felt the best way to deliver you to the government with as little incident as possible was to use the Buster Call. Isn't the Demon of Ohara good enough reason?" Silence reigned for a moment and Spandam declared his words effective in silencing Nico Robin. "In any case, at least all the pirates here will die."

"Fool. You really believe it'll just end there? This attack is meant to destroy everything: human, building, it won't matter!" The marines on the island looked at each other with worry about the points that the mysterious female was providing about the corruption of their boss.

"Whatever." The flippant tone just left Robin slack jawed as the egotistical man continued. "You're life is important since that Cutty Flam burned the blue prints. The military strength that an ancient weapon could bring is worth the sacrifice of several thousand soldiers. In any case, this is a mere unavoidable sacrifice for the glorious future." Everyone just stared at the closest Den Mushi in disbelief. "My promotion also rides on this."

"Human lives aren't to just to be tossed away!" Robin roared in righteous fury.

"For true justice, it's alright. If a hundred lives need to be tossed aside to save the greater good, then so be it," Spandam replied simply before adding. "Those useless soldiers couldn't even stop Straw Hat from coming here so they are better off dead."

Robin smirked as she hid the Tone Dial she had been given for an occasion such as this within her dress as she motioned towards the Den Den Mushi. "Everyone has heard what you've been saying." Turning towards the snail that Spandam held in his hand, Robin shouted. "Everyone please leave this island! With the Buster Call coming, anyone left here will not survive!"

The loud slap was heard across all the speakers before Spandam snapped, "You dare say such unnecessary things!" before the snail was turned off finally.

Every CP9 agent sighed at their leader's utter incompetence and inability to think of anything but himself.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu had his girlfriend slumped over his shoulder thankfully with her jacket on to stop people from attempting to ogle her legs too much. He exited the office anxiously as he held her for he feared what her reaction would be if she found out the ships had left already. Going into her bedroom this time, he set her down gently upon her bed and felt his heart clench when he saw that she was crying, even within her sleep. Petting her slightly on the head, the admiral was uneasy. "We'll figure out what's going on and why Aokiji would use the Buster Call."

Andrea whimpered slightly in her sleep but to the admiral's relief, did curl a little closer to his touch. He resumed petting her hair softly and glanced towards where he knew Enies Lobby was.


	112. First Fight

An oddly fast chapter to write when I got down to it :o

Thanks to both of my guest reviewers! And yup as a confirmation, Andrea did sleep with Aokiji in the past but regrets it in many ways as she essentially did guilt trip him into it without having any actual feelings for him and the fact that the age difference at a younger age can tend to make things increasingly awkward. [Chapter 95 as a reference]. In this chapter, we'll actually see some of the jealousy from Akainu bubble

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 112: First Fight**

Andrea woke up in panic when she realized she was alone. Jumping out of her bed, noticed her dagger on the bedside table. Quickly, she unsheathed the blade and held tight onto the hilt as she stared down at it. Her confused expression stared back but her body had not stopped panicking. Deciding on a course of action, she barely touched her door knob when she heard a gruff voice. "If you're so worried about being alone, why did you not use Haki to find me?"

Turning back, she saw Akainu step out of her bathroom with a washcloth obviously intended for her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she jumped into his arms as he chucked slightly as he dabbed slightly at her face with the cloth but most of the cooling effect was minimal due to his powers. Nonetheless, she appreciated the effort. "Sorry, I just panicked."

"I suppose you are justified considering you have been asleep for quite a while. Two whole days in fact," the admiral informed her lightly but he held her tight when she tried to escape upon hearing that news.

"My brother… Luffy! Let me go, Sakazuki!" she barked as she tried to squirm for her Den Den Mushi but she merely flailed harmlessly as the admiral's strength would not fall to her. Slumping in defeat, Akainu went over to her wardrobe and pulled out her suit as well as her jacket.

"Get dressed. Your presence has been requested by Admiral Aokiji," he grumbled in a low voice that carried his displeasure pretty heavily. "And on top of that, you missed your grandfather's departure."

"Departure?" Andrea asked as she buttoned her suit jacket. "Where would he be going that he didn't let me know?"

"Rumor is to arrest Straw Hat Luffy." Andrea fell to the ground as she had been putting her leg through the suit's pant leg and the fright was enough to upend her balance.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she whimpered as she bowled over Akainu with a glomp. The stoic admiral merely glanced down at the odd sight before him: Andrea with her suit jacket neatly done but pants still around her ankles but the overprotective tears in her eyes made him sigh with annoyance.

"You've put yourself through too much lately that everyone agreed it would be best if you just had a nice quiet day." Pouting, she slipped off of him to finally secure her pants and then she found her boots. She slipped them on quickly and stomped to the door.

"Well you could have at least waked me up when Kuzan came here," she scowled as she reached for the doorknob but then Andrea felt the tension in the room drastically rise. Glancing back, Akainu was stubbornly sitting on her bed with his arms crossed, clearly pissed off. "What? Is it bad that I want to see a friend so badly?"

"If a friend is so important to wake up for, why not the boyfriend who has been watching over you these last couple days? And is it bad that I want you to recover properly from your wounds and this stress?" the admiral fired back with his temper flaring being obvious as he clenched his fists. Andrea bit her lip guiltily and stared down as the tall admiral stood up to lecture her. "You've pushed yourself too hard after getting that damn wound on your back. Then on top of that, some upstart mouths off to you and you feel it is necessary to respond but not in a normal way. That apparently is too easy for Garp's precious granddaughter." Andrea stared at her boots even more intensely now. She was not used to Akainu's angry tone being directed at her in such a manner but what surprised her was what the tone was laced with: jealousy.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled softly under her breath but her boyfriend was not done yet.

"If you thought I had held back during that spar, you're damn right I did." He pulled the stubborn female to his chest and held her for a moment before continuing, "Do you know how it felt seeing the person I started to care about be grievously injured in my fellow admiral's care then finding out on top of that, you had a history with him." Before Andrea could speak, he leaned down and kissed her gently before sighing and tucking in her head under his chin. "That doesn't matter now but it would have been nice to know back then as you know Aokiji and I don't see eye to eye."

She snorted slightly, "Understatement of the century."

"Then to add fuel to the fire, Borsalino was an absolute moron with you on the way back."

"He wasn't an absolute moron," she tried to justify but the words just vibrated onto Akainu's chest as he still held her tightly. "If anything, it's better than if I was in Garp's care."

"Which is why I pity your brother but enough of this mushy shit. Let's go see what Aokiji wants and you are to take it easy. Are we clear?" The plotting look in the female's eyes did not reassure the admiral despite her sudden smile.

"Ok, Sakazuki-kun!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Garp crashed through the Galley-La Company building with little care about the damage he inflicted. Coby was already behind him, carefully documenting the damage so that the marines would send a check to the company. Walking through the new convenient door that he had created, Garp tilted up his dog hat in amusement as he surveyed the pirates inside. "I take it you all are members of the Straw Hat crew? My little Andy wasn't joking it appears." When no one answered, he walked a little closer. "Monkey D. Luffy should meet someone important…"

Sanji quickly tossed his suit jacket aside as he had his leg ready. He may not have recognized this marine but hearing Andrea's name tossed so casually did put him ill at ease despite how he may feel about her. Franky frowned in confusion but tensed his fists anyway. Chopper however was transfixed on the fact that the hulking man had broken through without a scratch on him. Luffy however was unaware of the impending doom and just snored away happily while sleep talking. "More meat please," he drooled as he lifted a turkey leg in triumph.

"Wake up already, Luffy!" Garp commanded as he punched down on the rubber man's head.

Luffy shrieked in pain and held his forehead. Sanji merely glanced in confusion. "How could a punch hurt you since you're a rubber man?" But sure enough, there was a pretty nasty bump on Luffy's head that made it look like a second head.

"That's no normal punch," Garp reasoned as he tossed his hat aside. "The fist of love reaches everyone. And it's apparently you're just as reckless as Andy has told me, Luffy!"

Seeing his grandfather in all his glory made Luffy back up in fear but not without clenching some meat to his body. "What the hell, Grandpa?!"

As the crew stared at the marine in shock, he bent over to poke Luffy's wound. "You owe me an apology."

Nami gasped as she recognized the vice admiral then stared at Luffy in shock. Suddenly a lot of things made sense and yet this also explained how Andrea was but yet… in polar opposite ways. Sanji stared at the two men and could see the resemblance but failed to see how this vice admiral was also Andrea's grandfather. "So you two really are related?" the cook asked as he lit up a new cigarette.

"Yeah so please stay back everyone," groaned Luffy as he held an ice pack that Chopper fetched for him to his forehead. "Unlike Andy, he is more likely to kill. Over the past, it's a miracle I survived!"


	113. The Love Marines Have for Pirates

This chapter practically wrote itself :o Please enjoy

And a thank you muffin to reviewer jasje20! Have a fun day off school :)

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 113: The Love Marines Have for Pirates**

"You act like I was a cruel guardian!" Garp stated, hand over heart as if Luffy had offended him. "Remember when I pushed you over that cliff?"

"Then Andy made Ace jump and get me."

"Threw you into the jungle at night?"

"Andy dragged Ace and they looked for me with a torch."

"Tied you onto a balloon so you flew into the sky?

"Then Andy cried until you got me down."

"And despite your sister's worrisome interference, it was to make you into a strong man!" Garp proclaimed proudly despite the rest of the crew looking at him in a mix of shock, fear and awe.

"He makes… Luffy normal," stammered Sanji who almost choked on a cigarette after hearing Garp go on. "This must explain their will to live."

"Despite raising you with Ace and Andy and all the love I gave you, the minute I'm gone… what happened?" He glared at Luffy as his eyes filled with rage. "You were supposed to become a marine!"

"Even as a kid I wanted to be a pirate!" Luffy shouted back angrily, not even caring if his grandfather punched him again. "Just because Andy couldn't be a marine back then doesn't mean you should have shoved it onto me or Ace."

"You know very well there was no way your sister could have been," Garp evasively stated which only perked the curiosity of the pirates. "In any case, that red haired pirate set you down this path to doom."

"You know Shanks saved my life and I won't let you talk about him that way!" Luffy proclaimed as he flipped off his grandfather in annoyance.

Garp's face darkened even more if that was possible and the vice admiral quickly seized his grandson by the shirt and drew him close to his face and next to his fist. "Are you telling your own grandfather what to do?!"

Luffy squeaked an apology and sobbed, "I'm sorry, Gramps!"

The crew watched in horror at Luffy's behavior before Sanji spoke the words on everyone's mind. "How shitty is this? He won't even fight back against his grandfather."

"A marine is going to take Luffy away!" squealed Chopper as he was already in a panic over Luffy's injuries.

Before anyone could do anything, the two family members fell asleep, Garp while standing up and Luffy while being held by his grandfather. Everyone just stared at the pair then Robin spoke up. "It appears that this is a family trait, even demonstrated by Captain-san's sister."

Franky was in full outright panic mode as he stared at the marine before glancing cautiously at Nico Robin who merely gazed serenely back. The archeologist looked completely unruffled and even a bit calm despite the chaotic vice admiral scolding his grandson. "What are we going to do? This isn't suuuper!"

The cyborg's loud musing however woke up Garp who stared around blankly for a moment. "Damn, I fell asleep!" Luffy's loud snore then directed the vice admiral to his hand that was holding up a sleeping Luffy. "Wake your ass up, Luffy! Displaying such an attitude when I'm in the middle of disciplining you!"

"But I learned this from Andy!" Luffy protested just to be shaken more by his grandfather.

"You dare pin this on your dear sister?" Garp roared just to punch Luffy on the head. "At least she became a marine in the end despite it all!" Luffy held his even more injury inflicted head as he looked at his grandfather with a pained glance. "You know what kinda pirate that red hair is."

"What about Shanks? Did something happen to them?" Luffy asked despite how he knew his grandfather would likely react.

"You realize he is one of the Yonko correct? It disgusts me how much power those four have the marines and Shichibukai are stuck at a balance. If these powers become unbalanced, only chaos will ensue," Garp explained but the later part of his speech was zoned out by the eager rubber man.

"I miss Shanks and his crew," Luffy mused as he stared down at his hat lovingly.

Robin carefully nudged Nami who glanced back cautiously. "He really has a connection with all sorts."

"I didn't realize that Straw Hat came from him," the navigator admitted quietly but her next words were interrupted by Garp who started to grin madly.

"Oh the infamous pirate hunter?" A dark chuckle escaped the vice admiral before he barked orders to two men. "Try to stop him."

"Yes sir!" two men shouted back but the crew could not see them properly.

Zoro had been tearing through the lesser marines with ease but when a blond leapt at him with some curved knives, the first mate smirked fiercely. "You have some rare weaponry," he complimented the marine before easily fending him off.

Luffy, despite being a pirate, still knew that these were his grandfather's forces. "Oi Zoro! Don't be so violent!" Before the pirate captain could stop the swordsman however, a man appeared in front of Luffy and gave a sharp kick to the rubber man's jaw. "What the hell, you bastard!" he snapped but when he tried to reach for the man, he disappeared. Luffy's brow scrunched as he recognized the technique but the man was nowhere as proficient as Blueno or Lucci at using it and so, was easily caught.

Luffy had pinned the man, holding a fist above his face but was motionless and he noted that Zoro had also pinned the blond wielding the knives also. Despite seeing his two protégé beat, Garp laughed happily. "It's not even a fair match!" he commented proudly which only served to confuse the crew.

"You are still so very strong… You know your sister has gotten a lot stronger too," the man Luffy fought muttered softly. Luffy stared down at the man in confusion as he let him up. Standing, the man brushed his lavender hair aside as he brushed off his pants. "Long time no see, Luffy-san and Zoro-san. Do you remember me?" Both pirates stared blankly at the man in confusion and Luffy even tilted his head but shrugged. "I'm Coby! Surely you remember me?"

Scratching his butt in confusion, Luffy's brow was still scrunched as he shook his head. "But I only know a smaller Coby."

The lavender haired man chuckled and pointed to himself. "Yup that's me. I'm the one who used to be a crybaby."

Zoro's jaw dropped as he looked at the man. "You're really Coby and here in the Grand Line? And on top of that, you know Luffy's sister?"

"Well a few crazy things happened at headquarters the other day," Coby stammered as he shrugged. "But nonetheless, I thank you for without you, I wouldn't be where I am today!"

"You grew up too fast!" Luffy proclaimed as he tilted his head to look at Coby again. "You were so short and even a little pudgy back then but wow!"

Chuckling softly, Coby extended out a hand for the pirate to shake and he did so happily. "Sorry about the disturbance. You likely are tired. Shall we have a feast?" Luffy's eyes lit up as he led the marine in but Coby's companion squealed in anger.

"Don't you all recognize me?" the blond stated in anger when he realize that both Luffy and Zoro stared at him in confusion. Sighing, the blond went up to Zoro and mumbled, "I'm the one who almost got you the death penalty."

Scowling, the swordsman wished he had been a bit more violent but shrugged it off as he and his captain went inside the building. However once they went in, Coby nudged Garp. "We're out of allocation to pay off this repair. We have to fix it ourselves!"

"What?!" Garp shouted as he looked at Coby's careful accounting. "Why did you have to do this? It was so much easier just writing the bill!"

"Yes but you exceeded that when Helmeppo-san and Andrea had that fight," Coby explained to his superior who decided that time was the perfect time to pick his nose.

"Oh well. Having a bad ass entrance was worth fixing it I suppose," the vice admiral admitted just to have his underlings look at him with a sigh. Glancing at his grandson, he smiled softly. "So I heard from Andy that you ran into your dad?"

"What? Where?" Luffy asked in confusion before processing his sister's name. "Did Andy run into him too?"

"She was quite angry about it," Garp mumbled as he hammered some wood in the wall's hole. "But you can't help it after all. With Monkey D. Dragon as you father, things just happen," the vice admiral admitted while calmly nailing the wall. He completely seemed oblivious to everyone's reactions around him and shrugged with a laugh. His next statement proved his was very much aware. "Oh if you react like that, wait til you hear Andy's father's name!"

Luffy shook his hands in a panic. "No no no! She'll be like mega pissed if you tell plus look how people are reacting now!"

"Oh…" Garp looked around at the shocked and fearful faces around them. "Well then, just forget it!" he proclaimed just to make everyone sigh and facepalm.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji looked up from his seat with amusement as he saw Andrea and Akainu stride in, holding hands. "So it is really official. Congratulations," he offered the couple just to be met by a polite nod from Akainu and an eager chirp from Andrea.

"Thanks!" She glanced at Fleet Admiral Sengoku who watched the entire exchange evenly before motioning to a couple more chairs. Taking their seats, Andrea glanced at her friend cautiously, "So what's so important that we're in here for?"

Scratching his head with boredom, Aokiji pointed at what Andrea recognized as a dial which sat on Sengoku's desk. Her loud gasp signified she knew exactly what happened but Akainu merely blinked and motioned for his fellow admiral to explain. "This records sound and we have official records of how Spandam's actions could have led to not only many men's deaths but how his ideals are with regard to how the government acts."

"We all knew he was incompetent and an imbecile. So what does this shell change?" Akainu retorted in boredom as he watched Andrea fiddle with the dial.

"The government doesn't want him or the former CP9 to exist. The things they've done and how they'll allowed themselves to be portrayed are a danger to us all," Sengoku explained gruffly before turning to Andrea. "Monkey D. Luffy has defeated Rob Lucci and rescued Nico Robin from a fate that Spandam didn't feel fit to inform the rest of us about. On top of that, he used Admiral Aokiji's name when he saw fit to promote his agenda."

"So… How much deep shit is Luffy in?" Andrea asked carefully as even though she always got along well with the mythical zoan user, who knows what could happen.

"Your protection that you invoked for him is nullified," he proclaimed causing Andrea to tense. "He directly attacked the flag representing the World Government and as such, cannot afford to be seen giving him lenience. Do you understand this?"

Andrea nodded slowly as she closed her eyes. "What does this mean for me?"

"You are to hunt down the CP9 agents after you complete a full recovery. Admiral Akainu will assist in both training and execution." The female marine looked up at both men and saw they were serious.

"I need to kill them?" she asked softly but Sengoku had a bad day and did not feel like putting up with her soft emotions.

"Those are your orders. Carry out their execution and make sure that the taint they bring to the World Government is no more!" Sengoku barked harshly. Andrea flinched as if she was being hit but nodded slowly. "You realize how hard it was to justify how we treated your brothers and on top of that, we're revoking protection on your twin." Before Andrea could open her mouth, the fleet admiral finished, "He infiltrated a base."

Groaning at her brothers, she was handed a dossier of information on the CP9 agents from Sengoku. "You will depart in a week if your wounds heal and while there is no limit on this mission, it would be preferred if you finish quickly. Such dangerous people could do a bit of damage."

"Yes sir," she stammered as she quickly glanced through the papers. She noticed Lucci's picture stare back harshly and winced. "So… they all really have to die despite the World Government putting such time into them?"

"Are you questioning the orders?" Sengoku shouted as he slammed his desk. Both admirals glanced between their superior and their apprentice with slight concern. "Just because I treated you like my own granddaughter because of my friendship with Vice Admiral Garp doesn't mean you get to skimp on dealing your share of justice."

Andrea felt tears prick her eyelids but nodded slightly. "I will do what is necessary, sir!" Reaching over to shake her hand, he dismissed her. Andrea wasted no time exiting the room but before Aokiji or Akainu could leave the tense environment, Sengoku's words stilled them.

"Who said you two could leave?"


	114. Quite the Reactions

Interesting day today o.o We got my turtle's tank fixed up and spiffy!

Thanks to jasje20 and Guest for reviewing!  
+ jasje20: I'm jelly :o I got an interview Monday which would be for a nice, easy job :)  
+ Guest: I wouldn't want to be in Sengoku's shoes in general xD You'll find out what the two admirals and what was said to them in this chapter!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 114: Quite the Reactions**

Aokiji tilted his head as he looked at the list that the fleet admiral had given him before ordering him out of his office. "This looks like too much work," he grumbled as he headed towards where he kept his bike. "This is so easy that Andrea could have done this," he groaned until his stomach rumbled. Looking down, he shrugged his shoulders before walking to the mess hall. "A meal and a nap first…"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"As my grandson, it wouldn't be very loving of me if I captured you!" Garp declared as he ruffled Luffy's hair. The rubbery pirate was very tense at his grandfather being affectionate and yet the crew laughed uncomfortably remembering how many times Luffy's sister had made threats but yet those were specifically aimed at Nico Robin. "I'll say in my report that I can't hurt my grandson and that's that!"

"Sir," Coby nudged his superior tentatively. "We'll be better off if we just say they got away…"

"Whatever," Garp waved off as he started to pick his nose. "I'm going to eat then we'll be going is that understood you two?" Coby and Helmeppo nodded with understanding then the vice admiral turned to Luffy. "That means I'll be going soon."

"Okay, bye bye!" Luffy waved quickly but that did not satisfy the affectionate old man.

"Too dull and eager," Garp admonished his grandson courtesy of his fist. "You should have been more reluctant! I bet your sister didn't get such a crappy good bye!" The crew looked at each other, again in discomfort before Garp's next words brought a chuckle to everyone. "So what if I hit you? I still want to be loved, you doodoo head!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Admiral Akainu quietly entered his girlfriend's room without knowing what to expect. An overeager, horny girlfriend trying to fling him onto the bed was not what he anticipated and instinctively, he allowed Armament Haki to take hold on his body, causing Andrea to hit her face on his chest. "Fuuuuuuuck Sakazuki! Your damn Haki probably broke my nose!"

Raising a thin eyebrow, he stepped towards her in concern and yet again, was yanked but he yet again triggered the Armament Haki. Wailing at how he squished her, the admiral chuckled as he rolled off. "We need to talk about this actually."

"What's to talk about?" she pouted as she massaged her now sore shoulder. "I'm annoyed and likely you are so therefore, we should do the best combination of exercise and stress relief known to intelligent life."

"It's against orders…" Akainu said carefully as he watched his girlfriend's now rapidly reddening face carefully.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji wiped his mouth after polishing off quite a delicious and refreshing lunch. Leaving the mess hall, he debated trying to find a good tree to nap under when he heard an outraged, female scream from the living quarters. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Raising an eyebrow, Aokiji walked slightly closer in curiosity. "I wonder what's going on now?" the ice logia mused to himself and sure enough, he was rewarded with another angry shout.

"How the hell are we supposed to not have sex at headquarters? He can't do that just because he hasn't been laid in forever!"

"That would make sense unless…" Aokiji chatted to himself until he got a rather disturbing image of Sengoku sexually frustrated.

"If he's so upset at having no one around, he can turn to his goat!"

Feeling his stomach turn at Andrea's latest roar which he instantly applied to his prior mental image, he dashed immediately to his bike. _A nap can wait._

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"So my sister really faced off an admiral?!" Luffy asked with curiosity as Coby had been retelling the story.

"Yeah… Helmeppo-san sort of called your sister out and she picked this way to prove him wrong," the shy boy admitted. "It was amazing though. We all could tell the admiral couldn't go out on her. I mean it's bad enough fighting your girlfriend right?"

The entire Straw Hat crew started to choke on their food while Luffy's jaw dropped slightly before Robin interrupted what her captain was going to ask. "Which admiral specifically? I'm guessing not Aokiji."

"No, she already slept with him a long time ago," Luffy stated blankly before the more surprised gazes around him indicated he said something wrong. "Oh crap. She's going to kill me."

"That… explains the tension," Helmeppo pondered out loud.

"So which admiral?" Robin prodded gently as she could despite the shock she felt. The thought of a past involving Luffy's sister and an admiral was very unsettling as well as plain odd.

"Akainu," Coby said quietly but Robin's bulged eyes let him know that this likely would not go over as well as he thought. _So much for a peaceful reunion._

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea pouted and fussed but was now sitting contently in Akainu's arms while the admiral was filing some boring paperwork. "Are you going to do this every time an order displeases you?" Akainu asked as he had to shift the arm she was leaning against to open a drawer.

"Shut up, you're warm." The admiral chortled slightly at her grouchiness but he could not blame her. He was not pleased hearing the orders either but there was ways. He smirked slightly as he thought of the many ways they could toe the line of this order. "So Sakazuki-kun, why is it we can't have sex. You never told me that reason."

"You didn't give me time to in between your insinuations that the fleet admiral was a goat fucker and your rampant rage," Akainu deadpanned. At Andrea's widened eyes, he shook his head as he kissed her forehead. "And yes you did say that about the fleet admiral. I sincerely hope your punishment is mild."

"Gramps is so going to kill me," she whined before pausing. "So why is it we can't have sex?"

"Our auras were too much for those able to use Observation Haki." Andrea's blank stare definitely demonstrated how she felt as she slid off of her boyfriend's lap and was going to storm out of the room to do a mixture of apologizing and complaining to Sengoku but tripped over the fleet admiral's pet goat. It bleated happily and dropped a note on the fallen marine before happily galloping back to its owner.

Sitting up in annoyance, Andrea read the note out loud. "If you're going to complain about me, do it in an inside voice. My poor beloved pet is now getting constantly watched and is now too frightened to eat or sleep. Finally, you two being together really did overwhelm Vice Admiral Garp and if you're really going to fuss about this, you're barking up the wrong tree." Andrea giggled at the possibly unintentional pun. "Just wait a week. Surely you're that patient."

Akainu snorted as he helped his girlfriend up. "A week isn't so bad right?"

Andrea eyed her boyfriend before sighing. "How will we survive? Before it was that weird stage of how to progress to the next level but now…"

"Yeah…"

"I'll train a little and you do boring paperwork?"

"All we can do for now," the admiral grumbled as he slumped back into his chair. "Maybe when your grandfather returns, you can train with his other subordinate. He looked competent."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Coby gave one large sneeze as he was saying good bye to Luffy and the crew. Although mortified and profusely apologizing, the marine was heartened by the rubber pirate's general attitude. "Why can't there be more pirates like him?" Coby mused out loud but Garp interrupted his thoughts.

"Pirates like him were my little Andy's father." The marines on the little ship were silent as they hoped that Garp would let more information slip but the vice admiral said no more as he just stared out into the ocean. A tear slipped out of his eye. "My baby is growing up so fast and soon enough, I'll have to give her hand away in marriage! I remember when she was just a little baby and…"

Helmeppo sighed as he massaged his still tense muscles. Just hearing about the female marine was enough to put him on edge. Cute memories were not going to set him at ease with someone with such an apparent mysterious past as well as an overprotective grandfather. "So if she did get married, who would give her away?" the blond male asked cautiously. He may not care but anything was better than the affection of the vice admiral.

"Me of course. A dead king of the pirates can't rise just to give away his daughter." Coby and Helmeppo were the only ones close enough to hear this but their reactions were quite significant as Coby slipped while training. Helmeppo dropped one of his knives on his foot in shock.

_Of course… The person I almost practically make an enemy of is the daughter of Gol D. Roger with her adoptive brother being the son of Monkey D. Dragon. Karma really needs to leave me alone._


	115. Day 1 – Unconventional Training

Was on a RuneScape social slayer task where two people can join together to accomplish a task but the damn system is bugged and wasn't counting my partner's kills properly =.=

Anyway, thanks jasje20 for your review! I do hope I do well on this interview since the job is fairly easy!

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 115: Day 1 – Unconventional Training**

"Sakazuki-kun, this is stupid."

"Just do it," the admiral scowled as he placed his elbow on the table and allowed his magma powers to envelop it from the elbow to his hand.

Grumbling, Andrea focused on her right palm slightly and felt it exude magma. Letting it crawl onto her arm however to coat it felt unusual and that feeling only intensified upon locking hands with Akainu. "We really are going to arm wrestle as my training…?"

"I'm taking precious time to train you so be grateful," the logia scowled as he waited for Andrea to be able to move his arm. To his great amusement, she began flailing and trying to put all her weight into influencing his arm closer to the table but all that seemed to happen was her magma attaching to his and vice versa. The effect felt like dumping two bowls of pudding together.

"Explain how this is training when I can't do anything," she retorted as she gave up and tried to stand to force his hand to move but Akainu merely sat there calmly without flexing a muscle.

"As you are not a devil fruit user, you likely rely more on concentration than outright instinct when using abilities, correct?" Andrea nodded skeptically as she played with the magma which decided to slink off of her arm and onto Akainu's as if on its own accord. "Then practice with such abilities while doing something physical is important! If we are to train you to be powerful enough to take down former CP9 agents, you need all the help you can get."

"I suppose," Andrea admitted warily as she moved he arm and instead of relying on only physical force, tried to influence her little bit of magma to force Akainu's arm to move. To her surprise, it did move a few centimeters off center but her joy was short lived when Akainu pushed her arm down easily by using his magma to overwhelm her own.

"Remember: most of your most dangerous foes will have a devil fruit." Andrea nodded in understanding as she massaged her hand but she was not pleased with her own progress. If Luffy, Ace or even her own grandfather could train and fight so vigorously when grievously injured, why not her? "We need to work on more control and synchronization. I believe you created something to practice on before?"

"Yeah. Volc!" Andrea chirped happily upon remembering her little magma puppy. Holding her right hand out in front of her, she closed her eyes to focus intently. The blob of heat floated from her scar, hovering just over her palm as it slowly took the form of a puppy but to Andrea's surprise, it was a lot more precise and detailed than she remembered. "Why does he look different?" she inquired as she stroked down the dog's spine. She had no idea why, but if a dachshund was made out of lava, that was apparently what he resembled now rather than a lump of molten rock looking like a canine.

"You have developed control and finesse. It is rather good, Andrea-chan." The female beamed happily at the praise from her boyfriend as she allowed Volc to run around the room and jump. "What are his limits?"

"Pardon?" she asked as she allowed her puppy to jump into her arms. "I never thought of any."

Akainu just stared at the artificial magma puppy his girlfriend was holding before looking at her confused face. "I don't whether to consider you brilliant or absent minded if you truly haven't thought of a limit to this." He reached over to scratch the puppy behind the ears and was surprised by a deep bark. "And to be able to bark in addition to exhibiting doglike behavior… you truly have potential."

Andrea blushed at the praise which felt warm from the point of view of both a boyfriend and a superior officer. "Well I do kind of get tired when I make Volc but I suppose I need to flex this power like a muscle."

"That's why I asked what limits you applied to your creation. The more limits you apply to your power that are reasonable, the easier it can be to maintain the power and multitask." Andrea nodded in understanding. While she could make Volc do a variety of tricks, she did feel fatigue while doing multiple things.

"So I need to practice with my power?" The admiral nodded as he allowed himself to take a magma form to demonstrate. "Wouldn't it make sense for me to practice with other powers?"

"Well yes," the admiral admitted uncomfortably as he allowed his powers to recede. "But while I'm able to train you like this, isn't this logical to be able to train a power with the actual devil fruit user?" Andrea definitely could not dispute that logic.

Scooping up Volc into her arms, she felt a little sad as she let the puppy's power evaporate back into her palm. Concentrating carefully, she allowed the magma flow from her palm and to slowly cover her arm. Akainu smiled softly in approval as the magma covered her torso. He touched the magma and while proud to feel the heat, he knew that a bit of confidence would help but what he did not count on was how he felt the need to draw out his own magma to touch hers. "Sakazuki-kun, are you ok?" Andrea asked in concern as she looked at the hazy eyes of her boyfriend. "It's unlike you to be so unfocused."

The admiral did not answer and only walked closer to Andrea. She tensed up slightly as she felt the logia's power start to manifest. His body started to drip in magma which made Andrea back up with confusion. She walked backwards and fell onto Akainu's desk but he did not care as he pinned her to the desk with his arms. "Something about you using those powers," he growled as he nuzzled her neck. "It's so sexy."

Andrea squirmed under the admiral. "It wasn't just me feeling it?" she gasped as Akainu started to nip softly.

_If she felt what I felt…_ Akainu smirked as he looked at his girlfriend who was now suitably hot and bothered. Making the decision, he reached for his belt but before he could unbuckle, a bell was heard outside the office.

"The fuck?" Andrea mumbled hazily as she looked towards the door. The two of them withdrew their powers cautiously. Before Akainu could open the door, a thud low on the wood was heard as the door opened. Sengoku's pet goat bleated happily as it dropped a note in the room before turning around. Behind the goat, at least five marines were stalking the unfortunate critter.

Shaking his head at the scene, Akainu reached down for the note. "I'd like to thank you two for following orders," he read out loud with a scowl. Andrea groaned as she rolled off the desk while Akainu incinerated the note in his fist.

"We really will have to wait that long won't we?"


	116. Day 2 – So Many Swordsmen

Nice slowish day :) Let's get some review luff going on!

Thanks to jasje20 for your review and the two are not happy at all with their wait xD

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 116: Day 2 – So Many Swordsmen**

Dracule Mihawk scoffed when being told that he needed a reason to do anything related to his Shichibukai duties or swordsmanship. Being relaxed yet able was something he had every intention of doing but he had received a call a day ago that was too precious to resist. The fact it came from an infamously stoic, hard ass of an admiral only made this sweeter. The swordsman smirked as he saw the various marines of Marineford scatter upon seeing his ominous vessel but one lone woman drew his gaze. She approached the dock without fear and even held some rope to properly tie the vessel. As the boat gently thudded against the dock, he held out his hand. Anticipating him wanting the rope, Andrea attempted to give it to him only to be surprised when the Shichibukai politely kissed her on the hand. "Such a considerate marine you are," Mihawk commented offhandedly as in the slight shock she displayed, he grabbed the rope and tied his ship.

"Admiral Akainu requested your presence, Mihawk-san." The stoic swordsman nodded and motioned for her to lead the way. Andrea felt antsy but led the Shichibukai over to her boyfriend's office and knocked politely before entering.

Akainu was sitting bored at his desk as he had finished all his paperwork but upon hearing the delicate knock that he knew belonged to his girlfriend, he adopted his usual façade of indifference. "I am truly surprised that a Shichibukai such as yourself did decide to answer my call."

Mihawk smirked which made his very angular face look rather twisted. "When the infamous Admiral Akainu has a please in the message, one cannot help but be curious." Andrea's look of shock only made Mihawk's smirk more prominent.

"Andrea-chan, please excuse us. We'll find you later." She nodded as she walked to the door and out it, closing it behind her swiftly. Mihawk smiled eerily at the admiral.

"She's the one you're questioning the nature of her injury?" the swordsman asked to be rewarded with a simple, curt nod. "Odd. I thought couples were completely honest and open with each other."

Akainu's eyes had a hard glint towards him as he clenched his fist. "She is honest but evasive. With whom she truly is I cannot fault her if she is withholding something vital to her survival."

Mihawk raised a thin eyebrow before stating calmly, "What is so important about an injury that a child of Gol D. Roger has obtained?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Robin smiled serenely as she watched the party that had been started. It had shocked her at first being her second major party with the Straw Hat crew but at the same time, it was calming to be with a group of people so willing to overlook her past to protect her over one simple thing: friendship. A deep voice sounded behind her cautiously, "The tone dial has been delivered to the fleet admiral as promised."

"And?" she asked cautiously as she kept her eye on the party. No one had noticed the admiral hiding behind the wall she was leaning against and with the prior chaos caused by Monkey D. Garp, it would be too much too soon if another high ranking marine was around.

"He sends his personal thanks as to the nature of the CP9 and their leader. A team will be sent to deal with both," the admiral stated simply as he scratched his head in boredom. "I forgot who they are sending to deal with it…"

Robin chuckled softly at the admiral's forgetfulness before tensing. The admiral's lax behavior was contagious which was indeed deceiving of his abilities. "And the crew that I will be sticking with and not abandoning like how you were so insistent on believing?"

"They cannot be protected," Aokiji intoned gravely with a yawn. "The prior protection they were under has also faded and the favor your simple task would have earned cannot redeem the fact that Straw Hat Luffy ordered the flag of the World Government to be shot down."

"I see," Robin muttered softly as she shivered involuntarily. The chilling presence of the lax admiral always could send shivers down her spine despite being her unwilling savior all those years ago.

"Do well with your life, Nico Robin. The unexpected fall and soon to be destruction of CP9 has given you new possibilities to think of in regards to your nakama." He smiled as he thought of his old friend Saul. "I think his decision to spare your life was the right one if that soothes your doubts."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea was sitting on the docks watching the horizon with boredom when a lone sailing ship caught her attention. The ship was damaged in an odd way that was familiar to her but her ears could pick up the alarmed shouts of marines onboard. Flinging her right arm quickly upwards, she launched a beam of light into the air to attract the base's attention while she jumped towards the ship. Luckily it was close enough she did to have to yet a beam of light to push her along but the damage on the ship was staggering. "Any casualties?" she asked the marine captain on board as the ship slowly putted towards headquarters.

"No… but they did hinder us quite a bit," the captain admitted shakily as he noticed several, smaller boats head towards them. "We have an important message for the fleet admiral however."

"Does this have to do with why Shanks would attack your ship?" Andrea asked quickly just to be met with many stares at how informal and easily she could mention that man.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Is Ace able to defeat Blackbeard?" Shanks inquired calmly as he took a sip of the alcohol that he brought with him to the meeting with the infamous Whitebeard.

"Do you doubt my son's strength?" Whitebeard asked as he drank from the container with disdain.

"I cannot deny his strength but please hear me out. He is not ready to meet Blackbeard in combat," Shanks stated simply but the older pirate merely narrowed his eyes further at Shank's impudence.

"A brat like you is trying to tell me how to run my ship? I merely sent out Ace to enforce one of the most sacred rules. Blackbeard killing his nakama violated that ultimate law. My justice shall be enforced to teach that scum a lesson." The old man had a superior smirk as he looked down at the red haired pirate. "You forget that Ace isn't always alone."

"Oh? What has his sweet twin done now?" Shanks asked with a sneer as he reached for the sword on his hip. "Because how could a marine help a pirate after all?" he asked in sarcastic mockery as he drew the blade.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Mihawk strode through the chaos of Marineford with ease as everyone gave the Shichibukai an extremely wide berth. It did not take long to find the female marine who had greeted him earlier as she was in the same position: watching the ocean on the pier. Standing behind her sitting form, the swordsman cleared his throat. "I did not anticipate you watching the sunset among this chaos."

She gave Mihawk a wry smirk before glancing back to the ocean. "You have been occupying my boyfriend who was training me and I am ordered to not leave base yet so…"

"Your training did intrigue me but before I leave this infernal base, I had one thing that caught my curiosity." Andrea stiffened immediately as the swordsman's deft fingers touched her scar through her jacket and suit. The ridges of the scar could still be felt easily but something unsettled the Shichibukai. "Roronoa Zoro did not give you this injury," Mihawk concluded easily before withdrawing his hand as he noticed the marine's unease.

"Is that what Admiral Akainu called you here for?" Andrea snapped in annoyance. She could still feel his light touch on her back. It annoyed her that Mihawk could so easily find that painful reminder of her choice.

"A scar on the back is a shame for a swordsman," Mihawk remarked lightly as he evaded her question. "Yet you are not a swordsman but carry a blade. You are an enigma just like your father."

Andrea's blood ran cold but Mihawk merely walked to his boat and reached for the rope. "Who are you going to tell?" she stammered as she looked at the Shichibukai in obvious fear but he merely tipped his hat to her politely.

"Why would I give a lady's secrets away?" he replied evenly which gave Andrea quite a surprise.

"I've heard some gossip about you from Shanks," Andrea admitted with a smirk but shrugged. "You are different than I expected, Dracule Mihawk."

"As are you. Would you like the rope back?" the swordsman asked politely as he held the very rope that Andrea had given him to tie his boat with. The marine merely shook her head.

"Keep it," she stated as she pushed the rope back towards him. He nodded simply and pushed off the pier.

Andrea did not know what to make of the odd swordsman but strode back to Akainu's office anyway as she had an odd feeling. Sure enough, the minute she opened the door, a sword inside its sheath was tossed at her. She caught it easily but looked at it before glancing at her boyfriend in obvious confusion. "This is today's focus of your training."

Akainu withdrew from his desk a sword in a worn scabbard which drew her attention. The practiced way he held the blade hinted at great experience. "You actually are a swordsman?" she asked with wonder as she watched how easily he wielded the blade.

"Of course," Akainu smirked as he deadpanned, "You didn't believe those two idiots were the only competent swordsmen around did you?"


	117. Day 3 – Hand to Hand

Well... I think I did ok on my interview. It was in a group where one person didn't show up and the other person had little job experience + mega picky on hours so at least I did better than two people ^_^

Thanks to reviewer jasje20 and thanks for your good luck :) If I get a job with that luck, you may have another lemony chapter :p [Was planning one soon anyway xD]

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 117: Day 3 – Hand to Hand**

"We were going to practice your marksmanship," Akainu muttered before sighing. "But it appears the little pistol you once had in your possession is gone and chances aren't likely that a normal gun would be any use verses your next opponents."

"Well… let's just say someone needed the pistol more than I did," Andrea offered to the annoyed admiral who gave her a curious look.

"I just have to hear this," the admiral deadpanned as he slumped back into his desk to listen to her explanation.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace slinked on the rooftops above the Blackbeard Pirates with a distinctly predatory look on his face. The logia was so close to finally obtaining completion of the task he had been given by his 'father' and things only got a little easier with what his sister had given him. The pistol weighed rather heavily in his hands however and he had debated for a split second to not use the weapon. Pride as a pirate as well as being a devil fruit user made him uneasy. After they had parted ways, he had noticed the World Government insignia which only made him more leery of the modified firearm but he knew if his sister trusted such a thing to him, it would only irritate the marine if he was to ignore a gift horse in the mouth. "Oi Teach!" Ace called out to the bulky pirate who was reading a newspaper. Sharp eyes let him see that the article his rival pirate was focused on happened to be about his little brother.

The filthy pirate lumbered around to see his former crewmate look down at him with pure distaste and a touch of condescension. "Ace-kun," Blackbeard greeted cheerily as he clenched his fist to send a subtle signal to his crew. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Jumping down in front of the bulky pirate, Ace held the special gun to Blackbeard's chest. "You know why I'm here," Ace scowled as he let his flames envelop his body with rage.

"So innocent to believe a mere gun would do me in," smirked the Shichibukai reject but his eyes bulged as Ace fired the gun. The bullet barely touched his heart but it was an attack his body definitely could have done without. The blood spurting out of his chest had started to put the older pirate in a sense of shock. Teach touched his chest and stared at the blood on his hands, unable to truly comprehend what happened as the cold metal of the gun touched his forehead. Glancing up at the enraged younger pirate, Blackbeard closed his eyes as he could not feel the tendrils of his devil fruit powers at all. "What have I ever done to you?" he bemoaned his fate as the gun's trigger was pulled again into his forehead.

Ace glanced coldly at the pirate's body as it slumped forward. Looking quickly at the former crew of Blackbeard, he saw that they quickly scattered. "No sense of caring for nakama here either," he groused as moved over to the corpse. Tying a rope around the man's leg, Ace kicked him into the nearby ocean and sat to wait. "Better safe than sorry," he muttered as he toyed with his knife. _This is going to be messy…_

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea emerged from her room with her typical marine fatigues on. _No sense making my good clothes sweaty,_ she thought sensibly as she strode down to the open air training area. Looking around, she saw other minor marines ambling about in organized chaos. She got a few subtle and not so subtle glances as people stared at her back in an attempt to see the scar despite the regulation shirt completely covering it up. Thankfully Akainu had entered the area only a few moments later. His mere presence was enough to dispel the odd looks his girlfriend was getting just to obtain a few looks of his own but those were of envy. "Are we ready?" Andrea asked with a small smile as the admiral nodded his head simply.

"These stances are not only good for stretching your body but also for imposing good physical discipline on yourself," Akainu lectured as he demonstrated. They noticed a few marines staring at the pair so Akainu spoke up, "If you all wish to learn, learn quickly because this is not solely for your benefit."

The rush of bodies to surround the two quickly turned into chaos as they struggled to study the poses that the admiral decided to kindly allow them to study. Andrea saw the glint in her boyfriend's eye as he barked his orders to their fellow marines. _Who would have thought he has such a nice, teaching side to him?_

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace yanked up the thoroughly soaked corpse of Blackbeard up by the rope he had tied to the man's beefy ankle. The watery body definitely had no heartbeat. Ace chucked his former nakama onto his little boat with annoyance. _Surely the old man won't mind if I toast him a bit,_ he thought darkly as he stood onto the Striker and used his powers to boat around.

Ace looked at the gun that his sister gave him apprehensively. To think that his twin had such a powerful tool at her disposal was a bit worrying but he supposed it was for the best. He pondered what his former crewmate's devil fruit powers could have been before glancing down and noticing that Blackbeard's beard had now caught fire.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea jumped back from the punch with ease before ducking under a high kick. Akainu watched with amusement at the clever game he had devised. Tossing a single hat into the fray, the objective of the game was to keep the hat on your head or to obtain the hat from others. Andrea had quickly leapt up to place it on her head but the other lesser marines decided for her that swarm tactics would work. "Teamwork is crucial!" the admiral pointed out unnecessarily but Andrea chuckled.

"And when it's all against one, I don't have to worry about collateral damage or hurting any allies!" Andrea shouted back as she kicked off against a random marine's chest as she leapt over another to avoid any grabs at the hat.

The admiral however felt reminiscent as he watched his girlfriend weave through waves of fodder effortlessly. _She could easily become quite the terror if her health wasn't so…_

"Ooooh, what do I see here?" a familiar voice called out. "This is definitely a déjà vu moment isn't it Sakazuki?"


	118. Day 4 – Espionage

Easy chapter for me :o Slightly riding the high from killing off Blackbeard I suppose xD

Thanks to reviewers dark-driex-07 & jasje20!  
+ dark-driex-07: Marineford arc will have quite a different twist on it due to different circumstances but that's quite a ways away :) Welcome back!  
+ jasje20: Grats on getting your internship position :) I find out within a week if I get that job I interviewed for myself but we'll see how that goes! Lemon might be after the next chapter or so but it all depends how far I progress in the writing.

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 118: Day 4 – Espionage**

Andrea opened her door the next morning to a blinding flash of light as a certain admiral stood in the doorway happily. "Good morning, Andrea-chan!" he chirped rather cheerily despite the recent chaos that had befallen the marines lately.

"You are in a good mood," she grumbled as she attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Blearily she looked at the wide grin and the set of clothing in his hands. "What's that for?"

"Sakazuki said I'm in charge of your lesson for today so I thought that this would be appropriate." She held up the black, tight fitting clothing which although slimming and rather sexy, she doubted this was the reason Kizaru picked the clothes. "Oh and about time you two went official. Pity you made me lose my bet with Kuzan though."

"You really bet on our dating life?" Andrea asked in surprise as Kizaru attempted to innocently whistle. "Whatever. Is this why my boyfriend pawned me off on you today for training?"

Dramatically, the light logia placed his hand over his heart in feigned hurt. "You offend me so!" They both had a good chuckle before he cleared his throat. "I'm to teach you the basics of espionage since your boyfriend is stuck in a meeting."

"I don't know what makes me more curious, you teaching me this or the contents of the meeting…" Before Kizaru could speak, Andrea cut him off. "I know to some extent what it's about but I can't help but wonder how my drawing will be received."

"Drawing?" Kizaru asked with curiosity only to get shoved out of the room so that Andrea could change into the outfit he brought her.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu sat in the meeting with an expertly annoyed expression at the stupidity of the people around him. _These fools really believe the Straw Hats are merely acting out? Hah! Not even Andrea-chan would believe something so…_

"And we need to submit new bounties on these pirate scum," Fleet Admiral Sengoku announced as he held up posters with the pictures and names of the pirates. "We took some notes on modifications to the bounties we would like you all to look over."

Akainu watched papers shuffle across the table in boredom. He already knew what would be said and knew that the fleet admiral would do everything in his power to adequately judge the bounties of these dangerous pirates. "Straw Hat Luffy's bounty seems adequate. Why should it be raised?" a shout came from down the table.

The magma admiral groaned as he stood up to address the person who apparently could not read what was shoved in front of his nose. "This pirate ordered an attack on a sacred symbol of the World Government as well as being a charismatic ringleader for his crew. Surely a bounty of 325 million Beri isn't too much when you take that into consideration. Also the fact he managed to keep the evasive and dangerous Nico Robin in his crew should attest to the raised bounty."

Murmurs of acceptance were heard around the table as the sheeple, as several of the higher ranking marines thought of them as, agreed with the higher bounty. "Is five million more really necessary on this bounty for Roronoa Zoro?" another person stated from further down the table. "Swordsman really aren't that powerful."

Akainu felt his eyebrow twitch in sheer annoyance at the ignorant fool who apparently had not seen the likes of his fellow admirals or Dracule Mihawk in action. Sengoku sensing impending doom intervened, "A person capable of cutting a building is rather significant."

Again, murmurs of acceptance reverberated throughout the room. Akainu wanted to slam his face onto the table at these idiots who made those in the World Government and marines look like morons unable to solve their way out of a paper bag. _Are we really going to have to justify every damn pirate on that crew…?_

"This… is not a photo! Why was this submitted?" a voice shouted as they held the drawing of the Straw Hat's chef.

"Some moron in all his glory, decided to leave the lens cap on when obtaining his photograph and so, I had my subordinate draw the chef as she has seen and interacted with him." A few mutters down the table later resulted in a rather stupid man with an even stupider question.

"Isn't your subordinate your girlfriend? This definitely isn't her calling and she should be reprimanded for such a thing."

Slamming a partially magma fist onto the table, Akainu's temper was at a boiling point. "I believe she has proved herself enough to mouthy idiots too incompetent to throw a proper punch that she doesn't require justification. As someone else's idiotic subordinate was fool enough to leave the lens cap on, she had graciously volunteered to draw as how many people did we have on hand who had seen the chef?"

Everyone had thankfully shut up as Akainu reached into his coat to pull out a sake bottle as well as a cup. Pouring the liquid, he had heard a couple complaints as everyone else was stuck with coffee but given the admiral's infamous temper as well as his current irritation, everyone just let him indulge. Thankfully the rest of the meeting went off without a hitch, including the part contemplating about whatever Whitebeard and Shanks may have talked about.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Being a flashy individual such as myself," Kizaru beamed with a winning smile as he and Andrea walked through the town near headquarters, "I have come to know things to avoid doing to blend in and be completely unsuspicious."

"I'm guessing you weren't picked on the stealth missions much," teased Andrea as she munched on a muffin. "Wait… out of you three, who would get picked?" The wide grin was so bright that the female almost had to cover her eyes from how bright it was. "No way… how the hell?"

"Looks can be deceiving," the logia mocked as he swiped another muffin out of the food bag that Andrea had brought with him. "Rule number one of being inconspicuous: observing your target and their area. You've heard about CP9 and how they posed in Water Seven correct?"

Andrea looked shiftily around as if scared someone would overhear. "I have no idea who you're talking about?"

"Don't lie to me, Andrea-chan. If you can't trust in your superiors, who would you trust in?" Andrea looked guilty before Kizaru continued. "Anyways, back to my point. The CP9 agents stationed in Water Seven studied the area they were in. One was a bartender, another a secretary and the remaining two were shipwrights."

"Makes sense why in Alabasta, I had a hell of a time there. I stuck out like a sore thumb and only like half the people I met would buy into the story I gave them about being a mail order bride." Kizaru gave an undignified snort.

"Bet Sakazuki would love that," he teased as he saw a blush creep up. "Rule two is that being ordinary is not a bad thing. A serving wench or position of lower caliber is less likely to attract attention than a diplomat or a noble."

"Understandable I suppose." Andrea took another tentative nibble from the muffin as Kizaru found a bench and slouched onto it lazily. "So are you going to test me on this?"

"What's the point?" the admiral mumbled as he yawned. "No real point since everyone here is aware of who you are and who you're dating."

A displeased look crossed the females face as she crushed the remains of her muffin in a flaming fist. Kizaru raised his eyebrows with intrigue at the almost casual display of her ability. "Am I really always going to be defined by the fact I'm dating Admiral Akainu?"

"Yes," Kizaru answered simply as he finished his muffin quickly least it be spared a gruesome destruction. "You are rather tense. I'd think you two would be de-stressing each other at every possible interval," he chuckled as he waggled his eyebrows teasingly just to be met with a grim face.

"We were ordered not to have sex at the base," she groaned just to be met by a surprised face. "Our auras were too much or some shit like that."

"It really never occurred to either of you to just get a hotel room in this town outside the base?" Kizaru pointed out. He chuckled at the extremely happy look on her face and it felt like the clouds of depression that had hovered above her had parted. "I'm supposing you want this lesson over quickly so you can bring him to town?"

"Damn, I'm that transparent?" Andrea grumbled. "Those lessons aren't sinking in at all."


	119. Day 5 – Beneath the Surface

This chapter felt like it just kept going and going and going! But with the recent chapters themed at the one-day at a time until Andrea leaves and the Thousand Sunny gets built, it felt odd to think about changing to the format anyway xD

Thanks to reviewers jasje20, helixhier, and Guest!  
+ jasje20: Glad you liked the chapter :)  
+ helixhier: I had a lot of fun writing the chapter and it felt the same with this one  
+ Guest: It's odd how through this story, I actually grew fond of writing Kizaru's character with how damn silly he is sometimes

A lemon will be after this chapter and between the next chapter to be posted the same time as the next chapter tomorrow. As with my prior lemon, it will be posted on my Archive of my Own with a link in my profile

**I do not own One Piece - that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 119: Day 5 – Beneath the Surface**

Luffy gasped happily as he stared at the wanted posters that were brought to him. "My bounty went higher!" he squealed in joy as he held his poster close to him. "I hope Andy and Ace are proud of me."

"I'm just happy to finally have a bounty," Sanji smirked until he finally held his wanted poster in his hands. "What is this shitty thing?!" the chef roared in utter disgust as he took in the drawing that was supposed to be him.

Luffy chuckled as he peeked over at his crewmate's poster. "Oh Andy drew that."

An angered kick barely missed Luffy who saw this coming a mile away. The rest of the crew found it odd that Luffy mostly disregarded Sanji's perverted nature except when it came to his older sister. "Andrea-chan has the hands of an angel and such an atrocity would never come from such beautiful fingers!"

Luffy snorted in a very childish manner as he fell backwards to laugh. "Don't take my word for it then! Hell, maybe I can get her to autograph it for you?"

Smoke came out of the chef's nostrils in anger but before he could verbally assault his captain, his rival's voice broke his peace. "Oh look, my bounty is much higher than yours. Shit cook is shit apparently."

"Why is my bounty 20 million Beri?!" Nami shrieked before calming down after glancing guiltily at Sanji's poster. "Well I guess at least I have a decent picture but the guy lied to me about why he took my picture."

"Looking sharp, Longnose-kun," Robin complimented Usopp who was posing rather gallantly in a suit with his newest weapon in his hand.

"40 million is a bit excessive for shooting down a flag," Usopp sighed as he started to tear up. "People will start attacking me for money!"

Chopper started dancing with his poster rather happily. "I know it's only 10 million but it's a start right?" the reindeer asked hopefully to receive cuddles from both female pirates.

"Andy likely had them alter our bounties from what they would have been," Luffy pointed out as he started to get an itch on his butt and being Luffy, he chose to scratch it. "Out of any marine, even Gramps, she knows the crew the best and wouldn't take it easy on us even for a minute." The pirate captain reached for another poster given to him by a random Franky henchman and he only whooped harder. "If speedo guy got a bounty, that means he can't stay here anymore! We got our new shipwright guys!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The sword that Andrea by Akainu had been given chimed almost serenely as it met with Kizaru's blade of light. "It's just been a completely shitty day, Borsalino-san."

"Oooh?" the admiral cooed mockingly as he pushed back with his sword easily to put the female trainee off balance. "I thought after yesterday's revelation, you two would have gotten busy."

Grunting as she was pushed backwards, she channeled a little energy to her legs to push off the ground and hurtle herself far above the very tall man. However despite her speed, she was a snail compared to him. He easily dodged her attack by sidestepping and jumped slightly above her. Raising his leg quickly, he kicked downwards swiftly, sending Andrea sprawling into the ground. Despite Kizaru kindly not imbuing any Armament Haki into the blow, she had to imbue some into her body to prevent the pain. Andrea coughed as dirt and dust puffed up around her. "Sakazuki was stuck in that damn meeting all yesterday because he had to justify why the Straw Hat crew required a higher bounty."

Kizaru extended a hand to the fallen lesser marine to help her up. "Well it's not like we require a common sense exam but we really should."

Andrea could barely restrain a chortle. "Is there even a real minimum age requirement to join the marines? Whatever." Andrea took a few steps away from Kizaru before taking an aggressive stance towards him. Her left hand gripped her sword tightly while her right was off to the side, glowing ominously. "Anyway by the time he got back, I was half asleep in my room and he just slept next to me, holding me close. As romantic as it was, we both want… a little more."

She launched herself quickly at Kizaru who parried her blow easily and launched her to the side effortlessly. "I swear, the sexual tension between you two just stresses me out. But being a marine isn't all fun or games."

A smirk crept onto Andrea's face despite the fact she was repelled easily. "How the hell is my grandfather a marine war hero then?"

"I can't say it was a fluke. He is a powerful man with a strong sense of justice," admitted the admiral rather easily as he strode over to Andrea and offered his hand as a peace offering. "Shall we go eat? Maybe your boyfriend will be nearly done with meeting the fleet admiral? They still on about the debriefing right?"

Andrea nodded as she accepted the handshake. "Akainu got a bit hot headed shall we say from what I've heard."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu growled into his meal with annoyance. The debriefing itself had not been so bad but having to deal with a certain Shichibukai visitor helped to put the admiral in a foul mood. However his mood was rather mild compared to that of his superior, Sengoku. The goat owner's face had an unpleasant countenance as he read over reports. Ever the workaholic, he brought the reports to lunch to torture Akainu with. "This is just from Water Seven," complained the fleet admiral in annoyance. "I haven't even gotten started on damage reports from Enies Lobby."

"Andrea's mission to destroy the remaining members of the former CP9 agents should take care of a lot of the hassle. She is remarkably adaptable and the thought of how she could perform years and years down the line is intriguing."

Sengoku sipped his coffee calmly before glancing at the admiral with amusement. He put down the reports carefully, ensuring not a drop of the liquid spilled onto the papers. "Garp may have brought her here to dote on her but he did stick babysitting to Aokiji when he was a vice admiral. Can you guess what he possibly did as a primary source of amusement?"

"…He took her to the training areas?" Akainu guessed wildly and was in shock seeing the confirming nod on his superior's face. "Is he that stupid?"

"She was always a rambunctious child," the fleet admiral chided. "If not for her medical conditions which came to light later on, she would be an even bigger handful than the rest of her family."

"What makes you so certain of that fact?" the admiral asked carefully. His hand was twitching slightly to where he kept some sake hidden in his jacket.

"Women make everything difficult," Sengoku stated wisely before glancing to the mess hall's entrance. A wry smirk found its way onto his face as he noticed an exhausted Andrea stroll in accompanied by a jovial Kizaru. The two of them parted as Kizaru headed towards his superior and fellow admiral while Andrea beelined to the food line. "Kizaru," the fleet admiral greeted with a nod as he offered a chair.

"As fun as Andrea-chan is, I know I've been called back for more than just her training," the light logia pointed out with amusement as he smirked at Akainu. "You two have been so busy with each other that she's a bit moody. Drama may be entertaining but I do like to occasionally do my duties."

Sengoku snorted rather indignantly as he motioned for food to be brought to them. "We'll soon send you to investigate what may have been said between the Red Hair Shanks and Whitebeard. As they haven't moved since breaking our blockade, we wanted to be… stealthy. You can manage this?"

Kizaru faceplanted onto the table. "Why does everyone doubt that I can be discreet?" the often sarcastic admiral whined into the tablecloth.

Akainu smirked in amusement at his friend's mood. "I can only imagine her reaction."

Even Sengoku cracked a small smile. "She likely thought she was being pranked."

"You two are mean," groused Kizaru as he poured some coffee for himself. "This tastes like crap," he complained but then the light logia's eyes sharpened suddenly. "I think I lost my appetite."

The two other men glanced up to see Andrea sitting at a table being bothered by the Shichibukai Doflamingo.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea could barely keep a civil face with the mood she had been in lately and this man truly was pushing her buttons. Noting her superiors all looked very busy, she decided not to rock the boat and sit with them. She wanted to sit with a friend or her grandfather but the only other people she knew were not at the base and the mess hall suddenly felt very intimating without a known face in sight. She had opted for a small, unoccupied table but being approached a few moments later by the tall, lanky blond monarch definitely marked this day was off to a bad start. "Doflamingo-san," Andrea politely greeted but she did not go out of her way to make him feel particularly welcome either.

"Why isn't it little Andrea-chan?" the pirate ruler cooed in a sickening voice that made Andrea's insides feel like they were going to freeze. "You have grown even more beautiful since the last time I saw you."

"I was a child of eight or so," scowled the marine as she looked down at her plate as the pirate sat at her table, making her feel uncomfortable. "Checking out jail bait back then is rather creepy despite your connections."

A smirk from the blond man did not assure her that he would be on good behavior. He gave what would pass as a friendly leer before settling on her scowling face. "A woman with connections shouldn't sully yourself by being a lowly marine."

Andrea put down her cup loudly on the table as her face scrunched in annoyance. "Nothing is wrong with being a marine. It is a good profession!"

"But yet you were forced into it," the Shichibukai smirked at her. Andrea bit her lip slightly wondering how he got his information. "Of course I remember that back then, you had dreams of being the fleet admiral. I suppose dating an admiral gets you to that goal down the line I suppose."

Andrea's hand tensed around her cup as her temper started to surge but before she could retort, some a bowl of ramen noodles fell from behind Doflamingo onto his back. "Oh I apologize, I couldn't see you there."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"Don't you two think ordering poor vice admiral Issho to disrupt Doflamingo's plan was overkill?" Kizaru asked curiously as he watched the Shichibukai's face distort with barely concealed rage. "Actually, never mind. You two are brilliant."

Akainu sipped some sake as he watched the scene before him. "You'd be hard pressed to find a more noble marine," the admiral admitted with something rarely heard in his voice: respect.

"The fact that he disapproves of how Doflamingo treats Andrea likely helped," Sengoku pointed out as he held out a cup for Akainu to fill with sake. "She was a rather loud but charismatic child and anyone slightly sociable back then would have noticed her."

Kizaru scrunched up his brow in concentration before gasping in surprise. "Oh I remember! She's the little girl who put ribbons on your goat and rode it into the training area before challenging all the rookies. Kuzan would have to chase her down because Garp shoved the duty of babysitting on him."

Sengoku nodded before glancing at Akainu who shrugged at not having memories of Andrea as a young child. "You weren't and still aren't social anyway," Sengoku commented offhandedly to the magma admiral's annoyance but his peer's amusement.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea had graciously helped the poor vice admiral who was very apologetic but oh so polite to the 'lovely girl' who helped him up. "I simply did not see where I was going," bemoaned the blind man as he shrugged. "I am so sorry," he attempted to apologize but Andrea brushed off the apology. This in turn forced Doflamingo to do the same otherwise he would be made out to be an ass at Marineford.

"Let me go get you some food. I insist you join us at the table, Vice Admiral." The blind man smiled cheerily to the female marine who practically skipped away from the situation so fast, one swore she flew.

"Your timing pisses me off," Doflamingo scowled as he stood up sharply. The vice admiral, despite not being able to see him, had not wiped off the grin on his face. If anything, the grin grew wider.

"That is a dangerous child to pursue," the old marine warned as the Shichibukai snorted in annoyance and stalked off. Chuckling to himself, the blind man turned when he heard the slight clink of silverware being placed in front of him.

"I guilt tripped the staff to give you extra meat in your ramen," Andrea said softly as she carefully placed the food around the blind man. "I apologize for making you waste your food, sir."

The blind marine waved off the concerns easily. "You should finish your food, miss. Your boyfriend seems anxious," he commented mysteriously. Smiling slightly, Andrea shook the vice admiral's hand and walked to where Akainu was waiting. She was out of earshot when Issho smiled. Under his breath, he chuckled, "To think Garp's grandchild is still that kind… what a world we live in."

Akainu had quickly stood up upon seeing his girlfriend head towards him and the two of them walked outside the mess hall quietly. Andrea did not speak but merely reached out to take his hand. "Let me clean up then I want to go into town."

"What's in town that you want to see?" the admiral asked curiously just to be given a smile.

"A loophole in our orders," Andrea giggled softly. The tense admiral relaxed slightly as he escorted his girlfriend back to her room. She opened the door quickly and upon the door closing behind Akainu, she quickly shed her clothing as she made her way to the showers. "I'll just be a few moments."

Akainu was silent as he watched his girlfriend's lithe figure pad across her room, unashamed of her nudity but his peaceful musing was halted when he glanced upon her back. The scar was a reminder of how deceiving things could be then he wondered how bad things could have been. With a frown, he remembered the predatory look that the Shichibukai Doflamingo had earlier. Despite his high heat, he felt his heart slow at the thought of Andrea being in that pirate's clutches. Striding over to the bathroom door, Akainu opened it quickly and was assaulted by the steam rushing to escape the small room but he paid it no mind as he opened the stall door. "Andrea-chan," he murmured softly as he pulled her wet, naked body to his own clothed one in a sudden hug.

"Are you ok, Sakazuki-kun?" she asked out of shock as such behavior was a bit startling from the normally apathetic marine. His eyes were dark but not with lust but with rage yet she could feel it was not at her.

"I want to protect you from everything," he admitted slowly as he could scarcely believe the words himself. "Seeing that… pirate scum and hearing the words he said and what he insinuated… Yes I did her it," the admiral admitted as he noticed the shocked face on his girlfriend. "It made me realize that I don't want anything happen to you."

Andrea tried to squirm out of the admiral's arms but he held her tight. "Sakazuki-kun, I appreciate the concern but you know as a marine, I'll be doing my share too. I can't sit on the sidelines."

Clucking his tongue, he flicked her forehead teasingly. "You aren't getting out of work. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you… When you need it or whatever." A very slight blush was on the admiral's cheeks at the statement but Andrea felt touched.

"Let me finish my shower then we'll go into town alright?" Akainu nodded but before he could walk out of the bathroom, he heard her holler again. "Aren't you going to change clothes?"

"Why?" Akainu chortled as he let his body heat up. "Did you forget my devil fruit power?"

"Point taken," Andrea sighed as she shuffled back to the shower stall. She closed the door but knowing that Akainu was there and looking out for her made her feel warm. She smiled as she leaned on the shower wall and wondered if the stubborn admiral would appreciate what she had planned for that night.


	120. Day 6 – Bonds

The lemon felt difficult to write but odd without it. Again to access it, go to my profile and look for the summary about this story which has a link to the lemon which belongs between the prior chapter and this chapter. Bleh sleepy day

For those who are curious if there is any plot in the lemon but do not wish to read it, long story short, they discover Andrea's palm has a rather unconventional use and that's about it :p

A warm thanks as always to jasje20 and dark-driex-07!  
+ jasje20: Glad you enjoyed :)  
+ dark-driex-07: While Marineford is a ways away, I am thinking about how it'll be different especially without a captured Ace or interferring Blackbeard in the mix. Of course quite a few things will change along the way but the changes will be subtle at first.

Please enjoy everyone and let me know what you like :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 120: Day 6 – Bonds**

Andrea blearily opened her eyes and at first tensed upon realizing she was in an unfamiliar room that definitely was not her or Akainu's living quarters. But hearing the soft snore of her boyfriend brought back the memories of last night, especially the fact that she realized that they both were still naked. She tried to scoot away to get dressed but Akainu just instinctively reached out with his powers and dragged her back to him. Pressing her flush against him made Andrea blush and she tried to shake her boyfriend awake. "Wake up, sleepy. You said today was important."

Akainu opened his eyes with a groan before turning his head to observe the clock on the nightstand of the room. "Oh fuck! Get dressed now. We have like… twenty minutes." Andrea leapt out of the bed quickly to dash into the shower but shrieked as the water was ice cold.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy was grinning happily as he held Franky's wanted poster in his hands. It was the perfect opportunity to ask the cyborg to join and with whatever new ship he was making being near completion, he felt it was a guarantee. However he did not get very far before Nami apprehended him. "Luffy! Don't ask him yet!"

The rubber man pouted at the cranky navigator who was waving her finger at him. "Why not, Nami? He can't stay here longer and someone even mentioned he's the son of a pirate so why not?"

"I talked him into… a few modifications of the ship," the thief admitted shiftily. "I found out some good information so I wanted our ship to be best and I even gave him some money to ease these… extra conveniences."

"Oh! I forgot we had more money even after the badass party," Luffy squealed happily as his eyes lit up hopefully. "Do I get the statue?"

Nami bit her lip in an attempt to not laugh at her captain's childish want. "Something better…" Luffy scrunched his brow in confusion. "You get to pick as much meat as you want with Sanji." Luffy's stomach growled as if on cue and he took off immediately to hunt down the chef who was currently shopping in Water Seven.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace was cautiously boating around the marine ships to rendezvous back with his crew. Having Blackbeard's corpse did not ease his mood either other than the fact that the traitorous pirate was dead. Luckily the vivre card he had showed him the direction but the pirate could not help that something big had happened while he was on this man hunt.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea followed behind Akainu as the admiral burst open the doors to the meeting. Fleet Admiral Sengoku motioned to the table for Akainu but for Andrea, motioned a side chair. The female knew why as her rank was significantly lower and the only reason she was included in the first place was personal involvement as well as being the subordinate of the admirals. A soft whisper caught her attention and she glanced up to see the fearful gaze of her grandfather's subordinates. "Coby-san? Helmeppo-san?" she whispered back as quietly as possible.

"You won't want to be in this meeting," Coby cautioned softly as he saw some vice admirals, Garp included, shuffle into the room. "Things will get bad."

"How so?" Andrea asked with confusion as she held the paper in her hands tightly. She was planning to take notes on the meeting and get a better glance at the administrative side of the marines.

"It has to do with your heritage," scowled the lanky blond at Coby's side. Andrea's body froze as she heard the harsh words. "Will you be able to stand these men, you boyfriend or friends say such things?"

Andrea felt as if a pit had swallowed her stomach but she closed her eyes in an attempt to get a sense of self. Luckily the blond did not continue as Sengoku's words broke the small chatter around the room. "To begin with… There have been several interesting activities that caught our attention involving some rather big names in piracy as well as a few… rising stars."

"Luffy…" Andrea mouthed quietly to herself as she started to scribble quickly within the papers she brought.

"The threat that Enies Lobby not only exposes us to a very… ugly side of the government that they refuse to associate with and have asked us to eliminate. The admirals have graciously volunteered their services and subordinate to accomplish this goal."

"That idiot Spandam led many of our men to the slaughterhouse and had them doubt their place as marines," a vice admiral scowled that Andrea recognized as the blind man from the other day. He slammed his fist into the table which made some of the coffee cups jump slightly. "So much damage and loss was caused which weren't even by the pirates and on top of that, innocents possibly doubting if we can protect them."

"For his actions, Spandam is included in the elimination," Sengoku confirmed as the harsh look on his face showed he was very displeased with the former CP9 director himself. "Nico Robin has anchored herself to this crew that saved her and defeated the CP9 which while she is easier to track…" The fleet admiral glanced at Andrea for a split second before continuing. "It gives her a sense of security and loyalty which will be difficult to break. Also we are certain that the cyborg that had assisted them will join the crew. Who else but a nakama would go so far out of their way?" the fleet admiral pointed out to general agreement.

"Is this the cyborg the one who was the former apprentice of the man who built Gol D. Roger's ship?" The fleet admiral nodded simply before shuffling the papers before him.

"Our information from Aokiji points towards such. Speaking of which, he had apprehended an interesting group of pirates claiming that Shichibukai upstart, Blackbeard, is dead by the hands of Portgas D. Ace."

"Good," Andrea muttered under her breath but she did not realize how quiet the room was or that everyone heard her. Now her heart was pounding from the stares she was receiving as she realized how pro-pirate her statement must have sounded.

"Andrea-san would apparently like to add in her two cents about this," Sengoku said calmly as he watched the youthful woman redden slightly in embarrassment.

"Blackbeard, this Marshall D. Teach, is an unpredictable scourge on the ocean." Andrea took a deep breath as she felt her anger start to bubble and she knew she needed to rein it under control. "While Portgas D. Ace is admittedly a dangerous pirate with connections to the Yonko, Whitebeard, he is a more predictable pirate. The Whitebeard pirates are more controlled in their actions and despite being pirates, act with honor." There were skeptical whispers around the room and the female could feel her eyes narrow in annoyance at some of the comments she could hear.

"The lot of you let the lady speak," Vice Admiral Issho spoke in annoyance. Everyone hushed immediately upon being chastised by the blind man. "It is best we let one who has met the people in question speak."

A few mutters were heard around the room again but an eerie silence ensued after Andrea stood up and began to pace. "Marshall D. Teach was in one of Blackbeard's many divisions when he betrayed them for a devil fruit. A very dangerous devil fruit," she stated the obvious with a dangerous smirk on her face. "A traitor of a pirate with a dangerous fruit is the last thing that the marines or the world government needs. The Yonko, like the World Government, know there is a delicate balance of power and peace that we have right now. This scum… this wannabe Shichibukai has no respect for that and did the most chaotic thing he could do: murder a nakama. How would you lot feel if a crewmember or partner you respected and trusted with your life killed another on your ship? As the enemy of pirates, the more distrustful and disgusting pirate losing their life seems like an attractive option to me."

"You speak with a lot of passion," Sengoku noted with what Andrea realized was a note of caution. "Why is that?"

"Because a man so willing to kill a friend for power like that shouldn't exist," Andrea stated simply as she felt the words tumble out. "A threat to the innocent lives of civilians shouldn't be tolerated at all costs," she stated firmly but then her insides froze as she realized what she had said.

Admiral Akainu stood up and cleared his throat to get attention. "I agree that the elimination of less honorable and dangerous pirates should take priority but…" The admiral noticed how tense his girlfriend was but was at a loss of how to reassure her now. "The meeting of the Red Haired Yonko, Shanks, and Whitebeard is alarming and should also be addressed."

"Likely the two just wanted to drink," Andrea scowled thankfully under her breath but as she looked up, she noticed Admiral Kizaru's ear twitch slightly. While not something many in the room would notice, the female cursed at the fact that all the admirals had such good senses.


	121. Day 7 – Thousand Sunny and Departure

Bloaty day today X_X But productive!

Thanks to jasje20 for your review :) It still feels weird writing lemons since I've been married which I find humorously odd since I have more... experience now xD Glad you enjoyed though :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 121: Day 7 – Thousand Sunny and Departure**

Luffy stood happily in front of a giant item being hidden by the biggest sheet he had ever seen. To his dismay, Franky was not around but Iceberg was. With a smirk after seeing the enthusiastic pirates, he unveiled the ship happily. The rubbery captain squealed as he ran up to the ship to touch the wood. "This looks like it's hiding a lot of good stuff!"

"This is our present?" Chopper gasped as he took in the beauty of the ship. "I hope I have a little area to store my medicine!"

"It is nice and big," Zoro commented as his eyes were already evaluating possible napping spots. "Looks about as twice as big as Merry."

Nami could not believe what she was looking out. Everything was perfect for sailing and her money obviously well invested. Usopp however was torn. "Size isn't everything… but it does look pretty cool," the sniper admitted grudgingly.

"I must see the kitchen, the pantry and the padlocked fridge!" Sanji proclaimed as he grinned in anticipation. If they were good with furniture, they should have a good dining area too.

"It is a marvelous ship," Robin smiled serenely as they went up to the majestic vessel. The crew only became more awed as they stood on the deck.

Luffy rolled around happily as he felt the gentle blades of grass. "Our deck has a lawn!" he proclaimed happily as he laid on his back.

"We could possibly garden," Robin pointed out as she felt the ground.

"You mean…" Luffy's eyes grew bigger as he looked at stuff. "We could find a gardener for the ship too! I wonder if they could grow meat…"

Sanji's eyebrow twitched dangerously while Zoro's tone had the edge of caution. "Captain…"

"Oh yeah, we need a musician first," Luffy recalled as his grin only grew wider. The rest of the crew groaned at the thought of what else their captain would recruit for their ship.

Nami was hugging the ship's mast happily, pleased at how it would make the ship extremely mobile while Sanji's praises of the kitchen could be heard by everyone. "A fridge with a lock… a huge oven and stove… this prep area would make that shitty Zeff jealous. I love this kitchen!"

Luffy, as pleased as he was with the ship, knew something was missing. "Oi Icey," Luffy called out to Iceberg who looked at him with amusement. "Where's Franky at? I wanna thank him!"

"He's trying to avoid being recruited to be your shipwright…"

"Huh…" Luffy stared at the older man in shock. "How do you know I was trying to recruit him?"

Iceberg smirked slightly as he deadpanned, "It is rather obvious to my eyes so I can imagine how Franky feels. If you ask him face to face, I doubt he could reject the offer but he feels a duty here… If you really want that obnoxious cyborg, just take him by force. I really don't care how."

Luffy's eyes light up in wonder. "I can really take him by force?" Iceberg nodded which only made Luffy's grin wider. "You're the coolest mayor ever!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"How dare you take my pants!" Franky scowled as he stared down his minions with a cold glint in his eyes. "That's really not suuuper!" the cyborg shouted as he pursued his thugs who took off with speedo in hand.

"Take the children in! They must not see a pervert!" a concerned mother shouted as she rushed her children into a building.

"Indecent exposure!" a couple of the town's policemen shouted as they chased after the half naked cyborg.

Franky scowled as he chased down the person currently carrying his precious speedo but before he could retrieve his pants, the last person he wanted to see was standing in front of his companions. "Pass those up here," Luffy called out and sure enough, he was flung a still warm speedo.

"You punk!" Franky called out as he pursued the rubbery pirate captain. "Do you like the ship?" Luffy grinned widely as he leapt across rooftops.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea was cleaning the sword in her hands carefully as she sat at the edge of the dock. Akainu was off finalizing the arrangements for their mission to pursue the CP9 but she was still antsy. She had been ordered to gather any information necessary from her 'sources' but the marine felt guilty about how discreet she had to be in order to contact and possibly deceive her brother. The Den Den Mushi was sitting next to her, waiting to be used. Reluctantly, she put the receiver to her mouth and upon hearing the snail pick up, calmly spoke. "Luffy-kun?"

"Captain-san is busy," a calm voice answered which caused Andrea to start cursing rather profanely. "Your brother might disapprove of that language."

"Well everyone here would have my hide if they realized I was speaking to you, Nico Robin." Andrea felt around herself with Observation Haki to be cautious before continuing. "Although the purpose of this conversation possibly could go over better with you involved."

"Oh?" Andrea could hear some distant commotion in the background but as Robin did not seem concerned, Andrea would not be either. "I'm supposing this has to do with the events of Enies Lobby."

"You would be correct, Robin-san. I have to deal the fallout of such an event and it has occurred to one of my superiors that the Straw Hat crew could be of… discreet assistance."

"The deal I had with Aokiji has not yielded any benefits so why would I deal with another marine?" Robin countered quickly with a harsh tone. "You may be my captain's sister but you are scarcely better than your boyfriend or superiors."

Andrea winced at Robin's point especially when she remembered the meeting from the other day. "What if I told you Nico Robin that Spandam could be killed during my mission? Interested now?"

"Killing is wrong…" Robin hesitantly answered before continuing, "But if someone had to die, I wouldn't object I suppose. The tone dial was that convincing?"

"Let's just say we're tying up loose ends," Andrea murmured vaguely as she felt her Haki detect someone. Glancing back, she saw it was Admiral Kizaru messing with some marines so she continued. "Let's just say even though I cannot protect my brother any longer, I can possibly be of assistance personally for a little knowledge. The quid pro quo is tempting no?"

Robin was silent for a moment before responding, "May I call you back later? The captain has arrived back carrying the speedo of our possible newest crewmate who has arrived buck naked at our new ship."

Andrea almost dropped the Den Den Mushi in pure shock as she thought on the archeologist's words. "My poor baby brother…"

Robin did not hang up the snail; only put the receiver to the side as she focused her powers on the unfortunate cyborg Franky. He shrieked a painful wail as his balls were grabbed by Robin. Andrea twitched slightly just to laugh when she heard her brother's wounded plea. "Robin! I want him to join our crew as a man!"


	122. Delays

Lazy lazy day but tomorrow is my birthday :)

Thanks to jasje20 for your review! It is rather fun writing Franky xD

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 122: Delays**

Andrea was very tense as she was being escorted by Admiral Kizaru to Marineford's prison area. The admiral was unusually curt as he motioned for her to follow him, only stating that it was of great importance. "Borsalino-san?" she nudged the admiral carefully just to receive a cautious look from the man.

"Don't think any less of me, Andrea-chan." Andrea raised an eyebrow in confusion as the admiral opened a door for her. She walked in after feeling around with her Haki. She was reassured upon feeling Akainu but there was a great deal of other people there and that concerned her. Glancing back at the normally jovial logia, he nodded to her. "I believe in you."

Door closing, she continued into the next room but was still boggled by how vague the normally chatty admiral was. The next room however was dreadfully bright with one half of the room separated by a glass wall. Akainu was sitting on one half of the room with a cup of sake on the table in front of him while she noticed the other half of the room hand restrained prisoners. Pirate by the look of them Andrea noted but the grim look on her boyfriend's face was what drew her attention the most. "Admiral Akainu?" she addressed him formally as she was starting to think this was a test.

Akainu nodded at her before motioning towards the pirates in the other room with a heated glare. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I'm figuring it's a test seeing as you've been trying to train me lately," Andrea stated simply but she glanced cautiously at the captive pirates. They had stopped glaring at the seated admiral to watch the female marine with interest. Andrea was slightly unnerved to see that one of the pirates was taking a rather creepy look at her as if he had seen her before.

"You would be correct. We need to ascertain your loyalties before sending you out on such a crucial mission." Andrea's brow furrowed in annoyance as Akainu motioned to the pirates. "I will bring them here, one by one for you to execute as you wish."

"Is this really necessary? You've seen me kill pirates before on their very own ships so why this? They should be heading to Impel Down." A few of the pirates who could hear through the glass winced at her tone and easy admission of her abilities.

"Recent events have cast doubt and we just need to verify." Andrea glared at annoyance at her boyfriend who gave a surprisingly gentle sigh before striding over to her. He hugged her close to his body and whispered so softly that only she could hear, "This is to remove any negative associations that may have developed during that meeting. Just do this, Andrea-chan. They were going to die anyway due to overcrowding at the prison so it just made more sense to put you as the executioner."

"Whatever," Andrea hissed in annoyance as she took in the shocked faces of the pirates. Just what did they expect to see from them hugging? "Let's get this over with before they expect a show."

"Disgusting vermin," Akainu agreed before opening the door separating the halves of the room. A few pirates tried to shuffle back as best as they could but soon one unlucky seadog was grabbed by the annoyed admiral. He was dragged into the other half of the room and the door shut with Akainu standing by in case something bad happened. The pirate was a scruffy sort, roughly thirty years of age with worn eyes. Hair was thinning and teeth missing as he went his with the premature ravages of the sea.

"You look rather unhealthy," Andrea noted as she glanced up at the pirate. She almost felt tempted to offer the sickly man a drink of the good sake before her but knew that her boyfriend as well as their superiors would be less than pleased. "So… what have you done to attract the attempt of the Marines?"

The pirate snorted but the action sounded rather forced and he seemed to choke for a moment just on air. "Being a captain of a pirate crew s enough to the marines," the man grunted as he looked at Andrea with barely concealed contempt. "The man who captured me however was kind enough to spare my crew in exchange for my own life. I took that offer obviously."

Andrea saw the slight sadness in man's eyes. "You're a man of honor it seems." The pirate nodded almost tentatively but with resignation. "I can make this quick?"

The pirate nodded and bowed his head down as he saw her carefully unsheathe her sword. She held it oddly with her right hand due to the scar making it a bit difficult to hold the blade very tightly to her. She coated the blade slightly with Armament Haki to make the blade sharper and more precise as she quickly beheaded the pirate. To her surprise, the man died with a smile on his face as his head fell to the ground. Akainu nodded approvingly at her before throwing the body and head back into the other half of the room to retrieve the next pirate. A very ragged, tatty looking pirate with an unruly beard and browning teeth was hurled into the room. The man leered rather openly at Andrea who immediately felt disgust at being in his mere presence. "Well well well… who would have thought the marines had their wenches too?"

Andrea growled rather dangerously at the man before narrowing her eyes. "What are your crimes that you are being held for?"

The pirate smirked as he gave a rather calculating look to the marine. "If I get to have you for a few minutes, I wouldn't mind another crime being added to that list."

Andrea scoffed as bile rose in her throat at the thought of the sickening pirate touching her. "I'd like to not waste time so whatever. Alright according to these files, you raped the women in a small village, torched some houses and…" Her hands tightened as she kept reading the report.

"Oh there more written there. Please continue," the pirate grinned as he reached over to touch Andrea's right hand but the angry marine was at her limit with this man. Channeling the power of magma and finding it extremely easy to do so, she coated her hand with magma and grabbed the pirate by the throat. She slammed him against the glass wall and did not even notice it shatter between the force and heat from the magma. The other pirates backed away from the glass quickly as the man's neck was twisting from the heat and he started to gasp as his throat was crushed.

Andrea threw the dying pirate back into the room with the prisoners with irritation but sighed before glancing at her boyfriend. She could detect the pride in his eyes but it was hidden by concern. "Next one please," she spat as she looked at the pirate squirming in pain on the ground. "That's going to kill him by the time we're done anyway."

Akainu shrugged as he opened the door but one pirate walked through the door with determination. He nodded politely at the admiral before striding over to the desk and sat carefully. "You're Ace's twin," the pirate said quickly before Andrea could ask him about his crimes.

Her hesitation however was all the indication that the pirate needed before he tilted his head back to reveal his tattoo that pointed his affiliation to the Whitebeard pirates. "How do you know Ace?" Andrea questioned softly as she bit her lip in worry.

"He wasn't my commander if that's what you're wondering but we haven't seen him for a bit. I was to deliver a message for him when I was captured since he was on an important mission for Pops."

Andrea had a small smile as she thought on his mission. "If it comforts you, Ace did kill the infamous Blackbeard."

The pirate sighed in relief before tilting his head to the side. "Then my commander was avenged. I can die happy knowing that."

Akainu gave a discreet shake of the head which gave Andrea hope as she decided to give the Whitebeard pirate an offer. "The marines… are willing to negotiate to some extent and give some leniency in exchange for a few favors."

"I thought I was going to die?" the pirate shot back in confusion as he waved to the bodies of the two corpses in the other room as well as the shaken pirates still awaiting their execution.

"You could but I have a proposition for you," Andrea offered as Akainu strode over to her as to give his silent support. "Tell Whitebeard that the child of Gol D. Roger would request a possible audience in the future."

The pirate's jaw dropped as he connected Andrea's appearance, her relation to Ace and everything going on. "Ace is his child too?" he sputtered in disbelief just to be met by a wry smirk.

"Of course I have to kill the other pirates for listening but you look like a man of honor. Will you carry this most discreet message?" Andrea offered peacefully as she held out her dagger which was the twin to Ace's. The pirate at first thought it was Ace's but the well worn handle pointed otherwise. Knowing this was the best offer he would get; the pirate nodded cautiously and accepted the weapon. "Please wait one moment and help yourself to some sake. This could be messy." Andrea stood up and without going through the door, hopped almost childishly through the broken glass and smiled at the scared pirates. "Oh before you lot protest, I did read through the files. You're all too dangerous to let live."


	123. On a Boat Finally

Well today is my birthday so I get to go to Cheesecake Factory and convinced my hubby to buy me Alpha Centauri Alien Crossfire :D Yay for me!

Anyway please enjoy and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts :D

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 123: On a Boat Finally**

Andrea stared at the sleek vessel that Admiral Kizaru had chosen for his little mission as the two admirals parted company in their own separate boats. She had felt worry at first regarding with the lackadaisical admiral and a Whitebeard pirate but a stern look from her own admiral apparently had reduced any goofing around to an acceptable level. Her thoughts then bounced back to the interrogation of the prior day. She felt like her priorities and what she believed in were shifting without a way to even know what was going on. Yet the other marines around her seemed to go about their routine without a hiccup whatsoever as if this change was never there to begin with or was not of importance. "Stop acting like something bad will happen," Akainu scolded with a slight smack to the back of Andrea's head to snag her out of her daydream. The female marine glanced back at her boyfriend in surprise and indignation where he just smirked back at her in amusement. "Despite acting the fool, Borsalino does know how to do his job and handle other matters that require discretion."

"I suppose you're right," Andrea admitted as she watched the ship become faint on the horizon as both ships parted ways. "I just can't help but wonder about my twin. I hope he's arrived back otherwise my dagger won't be of any use."

"We should get back to your training," Akainu reminded carefully as he placed a hand on her shoulder to steer her away from the railings of the ship and therefore one source of her worries. "We don't have much time until we arrive at Enies Lobby to investigate any clues as to where the CP9 may have gone so we have to maximize all the time we can. That idiot Spandam is likely in Water Seven like a moron but we need to investigate all possible angles. Now draw your blade," the stern magma commanded.

The female sighed as she felt the weight of the unfamiliar sword on her waist as she reached for it. Using the weapon in her right hand still felt heavy and unwieldy but no practice would make the weapon even more dangerous t herself rather than her foe. "I suppose I need a lot more practice," she admitted wearily as she concentrated slightly on the sword. A slight glow emitted from her hand and expanded out to engulf the sword in a faint, thin glow.

"Why that power?" the admiral scowled as he pulled out a sword of his own. He held it with practiced ease before charging.

Andrea carefully parried the blow but not without great difficulty as the force and raw strength that the admiral charged with caused her to be pushed back. "You get turned on when I use the magma powers even a little bit and it is impractical for this." The two blades clashing suddenly caused the light surrounding Andrea's sword to expand out and envelop the area in an intensely bright glow. The two heard complaints from surrounding marines who had been flashed by the weapon but Akainu merely smirked at the empty space that used to be where his girlfriend was standing.

"Not bad but you forget…" Akainu leapt up and appeared behind where Andrea was trying to appear behind him previously. "That admiral is my best friend and I know how to squint my eyes."

He smacked her away with the flat side of the sword. She barely caught herself on the deck as she glared at him. Despite not being cut, she still had a slight mark where the metal smacked her and it was smarting something fierce. "Cheap shot," she grumbled as she held the sword in front of her again.

"You blinded half my crew and call me out-Soruing you cheap?" the admiral smirked as his girlfriend charged him. _She gets fired up so easily…_

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Kizaru chuckled at the pirate disguised as a marine just staring at the other marines in barely concealed suspicion. This was the perfect opportunity for pranks before going close to where Whitebeard and Shanks were at. The tense man had practically frothed at the mouth when the light logia had jovially slapped him on the back while telling a joke earlier and said admiral intended to get the full comedic effect out of this man.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji was dozing on Vice Admiral Garp's ship while the other marines sighed. "This is a bit embarrassing," Coby complained to his superior who was content to pick his nose regardless of who was around. "We had barely arrived at headquarters but before that, we had fun with Luffy. Coming back in an attempt to capture him feels like it is in poor taste."

Garp grunted in annoyance as he flicked a booger overboard. A seagull plummeted from the sky with an injured wing. "That poopy head Sengoku had the gall to say I wasn't doing my job! Bah! He's the reason we had to come back to this dang place."

"You didn't have to tell him why you left Straw Hat alone just because you're family," Aokiji muttered from underneath his sleeping mask with a wry smirk.

"Shut up, newbie!" Garp snapped at the yet again sleeping admiral. Sighing he reached for a loud speaker as he sighted his grandson's ship. Clearing his throat, he turned on the speaker. "Luffy, this is your grandfather."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Luffy's heart dropped upon hearing that familiar voice call out to him. Glancing quickly his crew, he was relieved to see that Usopp had finished dragging some last minute supplies. "Move your ass," he hollered out to the lanky sniper.

"Why?" Usopp shouted back before he noticed the marine ship.

Luffy put his hands to his mouth to shout to his grandfather with cautious cheer. "Did you want to see us off, Grandpa?"

Marines stared at the pirate ship out of shock that the infamous Straw Hat captain could be so stupid. "Of course, Luffy!" Garp happily shouted back. Aokiji burst out laughing at the jovial vice admiral as the other marines now stared at Garp wondering how easily sidetracked he could be. Coby cleared his throat with amusement and Garp's jaw dropped. The Straw Hat crew looked at each other with incredulity before glancing at their blissfully unaware captain.

Nami shook her head with a chuckle. "I don't want to burst your bubble Luffy but…" The navigator had heard plenty of stories about this marine war hero and unfortunately what to expect. Pity her captain did not seem to have grasped that yet.

"Please die now!" Garp's voice spoke over the loudspeaker before silence reigned. Nami started barking evasive maneuvers to the crew in worry but at first they looked at her funnily and with quite a bit of disbelief.

Until a pole next to the Thousand Sunny was hit by a cannonball thrown by Monkey D. Garp.


	124. Ruins

Had a great birthday! My hubby bought me the game I wanted which turned out to be on discount on top of that so cheap game got cheaper! We went to Cheesecake Factory and had some yummy food then went to a chocolate shop after to taste and buy some nice chocolate. After chilling at home for a bit, I was brought a chocolate and strawberry cake :)

Thanks to my guest reviewer for your two cents :D Kizaru has come to amuse me as I wrote more and more xD Thanks for the birthday wishes :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 124: Ruins**

Andrea walked onto the partially ruined Bridge of Justice with apprehension as she clenched her right hand. Akainu was walking next to her with a concerned look in his eyes as he smelt blood but then quickly realized it was it was her palm bleeding as drops trickled behind them. "Your palm," the admiral pointed out softly as he reached for a bandage but was slightly surprised when Andrea politely declined.

"The air is thick with suffering," Andrea intoned ominously as she clenched her fist even more. That was when Akainu noticed the blood was not from her scar bleeding as it used to but rather from her fingernails digging into the soft skin of her palm. "The Haki is making it worse."

"I see," the admiral murmured sympathetically as he jumped to another broken piece of the bridge. He did not want to admit just how deeply he felt the eerie sensation himself but as Andrea used Soru to join him on the broken piece to leap to the next, he had a feeling she knew. "Anything out of the ordinary we must investigate. The slightest clue could determine where the rest of the CP9 have gone and while they were just agents, they are easily more dangerous than their supervisor."

Andrea nodded as she leapt into the remains of a building. Cannon fire had decimated the building from what she had suspected was the Buster Call that had been summoned to the island. She glanced around and saw no corpses at all or any documents. "Odd…" the female marine murmured as she jumped out of the building back to where Akainu had been investigating.

"I know we sent evacuation ships but there is a complete lack of casualties," Akainu noted coldly as he pushed some rubble aside. "We'll go investigate the living quarter. Better luck there perhaps."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Aokiji was chuckling aboard Garp's ship. The memory of Straw Hat Luffy's ship launching away from Vice Admiral Garp's assault would be a great story to retell to Andrea. _But not with him around. He's far too grumpy._"What's your plan now?" he asked Garp who was laughing merrily at his grandson's newest ship.

"Well they escaped us," Garp shrugged with amusement while Aokiji dragged his sleeping mask back over his eyes.

"I'll give the report to Sengoku with my confirmation I suppose," the ice logia sighed as he squirmed to find a good position to nap in.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Smoker glared at the posters of the Straw Hat crew he had been sent from headquarters. What had not helped his mood was a cheerful letter from Andrea babbling happily how she provided the drawing of one of the Straw Hats but the final message confused him. "Fire reveals all," he murmured as he tried to figure out the meaning of her code. Shoving the message in his jacket, he went to find Tashigi to see if she could make any more sense of it.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Vivi gave a wry smile at the wanted poster of Nico Robin that her father and his advisors were staring at in shock. Unlike them, she had received a series of vague messages to prepare her for the news and the princess definitely recognized political maneuvering when it was being so blatantly spelled out for her.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

The Baratie was in good cheer as they received their batch of wanted posters as well a newspaper about the recent events. "This will be good publicity," Zeff declared as he held Sanji's drawn poster to his other chefs. "We need more copies of this. Let it be known that he was our former assistant head chef!"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Foosha Village was in quite a stir as they posted Luffy's poster happily onto the wall of the bar. With amusement, Makino hand placed a letter from Andrea up on the wall as well. Enclosed had been money to reimburse for damages done in the past but the townspeople had been past that. "These two will surely collide," the mayor said as he glanced between the letter and photo. "It can only be trouble. What the hell has Garp been doing?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Ace certainly got a hero's welcome as he came back to the Moby Dick but seeing Shanks about to depart. The Yonko certainly was pleasantly surprised and admitted to having an extra stash of rum that they could share to celebrate Ace's victory. "In a few minutes," the logia politely murmured as he glanced towards his captain. "I have something to do first."

"Of course. I'll be back," Shanks cheerily departed back for his ship as Ace dragged a bloody sack onto his captain's ship. The babbling crew had hushed immediately upon seeing their 2nd Division Commander return.

"My son," Whitebeard greeted happily. "I trust you were successful?"

"Was there any doubt, pops?" Ace kicked open the sack and out rolled Blackbeard's head. One of the nurses next to the old pirate got a bit squirmy but it only caused him to laugh proudly at Ace's achievement.

"Well done, my son. Rest and we shall drink with that other brat. Marco!" The mythical logia stood at attention, awaiting orders. "Rouse the others and prepare for a party!"

-Meanwhile-

"They'll be throwing a party," the disguised pirate told a bemused Kizaru as they shared a bottle of sake. The pirate admitted that serving a marine such as the lax man before him would be interesting but the freedom of being a pirate was still more appealing. "That's just how things are on that ship."

"Oooh, I'm almost jealous." Kizaru sipped the sake before glancing at the horizon. "We'll likely arrive within a day. They will recognize you, yes?"

"Of course but they'll likely attack you," the pirate pointed out just to be met with a grin.

"I'll disguise myself of course," Kizaru happily replied as he began to think of a persona just to be shut down by the pirate.

"Sir… you're rather recognizable." Kizaru sighed into his alcohol as he moped.

"Why does everyone doubt my abilities?" the admiral wailed to the confusion of the other marines on the ship.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Andrea and Akainu shuffled out of Spandam's former office, clutching a plethora of documents they lifted from a jammed desk. "I would think that a commander about to leave an area would destroy such sensitive documentation. He is rather incompetent," Andrea sighed as she flipped through the man's journal. "And this piece of shit only supports that."

"The important thing is we got some definite clues as to where he is heading as well as possible locations the other agents could be. We'll set sail for Water Seven to investigate and restock our supplies," Akainu declared as they left the remains of the formerly important building behind.


	125. Family Friend

Good day! :)

Thanks jasje20 for your review. I hope you enjoy this next chapter

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 125: Family Friend**

Whitebeard sipped done some delicious rum as he could not believe his eyes. In front of him, Shanks was being quite apprehensive about the feeling he was getting. Knowing you were within shooting distance of an admiral could do that to you. "My son," Whitebeard called to Marco who was nearby awaiting orders. The mythical zoan nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Go see what that ship is," the old pirate ordered.

"Of course, pops." The zoan let his arms turn into his phoenix wings as he took off to investigate the large ship heading their way.

"You know who is on that ship," Shanks chuckled as he sipped some rum.

Whitebeard tilted his head back in laughter as he smirked at the younger pirate. "But it is so fun pretending that I'm getting snuck up on."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"And there's Marco coming to see what we're doing," the Whitebeard pirate breathed in relief as he shed the marine fatigues he had been disguised in. At first he was greeted by looks of shock from the marines around him claiming betrayal but a quick word from the admiral was enough to dissuade any incident.

"He is part of our little assignment and I don't want you all treating him any different. Besides he's a damn good drinking partner when we've had a shortage of them!" Kizaru barked to the other marines who sighed at how lax the admiral could be at times.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"This is rather… peaceful," Andrea commented as they docked in Water Seven. They had received with quite a bit of attention as apparently there had been quite a few marines around within the last week. "Think we'll get an audience with the mayor?"

Akainu chortled which left the female wondering what she had done to get such a response. "He is rather well known for being uncooperative with the World Government but I suppose recent events could be to blame for it being worse."

Andrea sweatdropped at the understatement before catching up with the stoic admiral's brisk pace as he strode to the Galley-La Company's building. "Do you have a plan of how to ask him? With how things went down, I doubt he'll be less than cooperative…"

"Ask politely," the admiral deadpanned so calmly that Andrea could not figure out if he was joking. "He is too useful to the people of this town, the marines and the government to threaten idly."

"I'm glad you have retained common sense in a career that lacks it," Andrea replied with amusement. Before Akainu could tease Andrea in regards to her grandfather, a loud annoying voice broke their banter.

"You will let me in! Don't you know who I am?" A ragged looking man was banging on the door of the Galley-La Company's door. His partially metal face slightly creeped out Andrea but the way his eyes bulged upon spotting the two marines nauseated her. "Oh finally reinforcements have arrived to verify my claim and deliver my promotion. You will all see!" the mad man known as Spandam raved as he pointed to the building. The shipwrights apparently were used to the insanity as they just went along their business as if nothing special was happening.

"Please allow me," Andrea muttered to Akainu who nodded quickly. She strode forward towards the crazed former director of the CP9 who opened his arms out to her as if she was a divine deity. "I won't regret this at all," the female marine decided as she Sorued behind the man, placed her hand behind his head, and forced him onto the ground. Spandam's weakness became apparent as he cried out like a baby begging for mercy. "This is so pathetic I almost want you to wallow in your existence," Andrea stated as Spandam started to cry into the dirt and simultaneously insult her. "Second thought… I could make this pretty painful." She had started to reach for her sword when the door opened.

"This is an unexpected sight," Iceberg commented easily as he took in the sight of the whimpering former government agent, the female marine and the frowning admiral at his doorstep. "Please don't make it too bloody. We just had this area cleaned up."

Spandam wailed in protest and as Andrea got tired of his grating voice, she knocked him out with a quick fist to his head. "He can be taken care of anytime but meeting with you sir, is more important."

Akainu smirked as Iceburg ate up his subordinate's blatant kissing up. "I know you're making me seem more important than I am but I certainly don't mind. Please come inside and I'll have my new secretary serve us some tea or something stronger perhaps?"

"Some sake would be nice," Akainu answered as she motioned to a couple other subordinates to take Spandam back to their ship. Two men had appeared immediately and heeding the admiral's orders, dragged the director back to the ship, taking one leg each.

Andrea followed behind the two men who started to idly chat about boats of all things. She had heard about Iceberg being a shipwright and the owner of the company but having knowledge of how a ship worked was not what she expected of Akainu. The only concern she had known any of the admirals to have regarding a ship was to not fall off of it into the water. Once they had arrived in Iceberg's office and served sake, the three sat at the table and sipped at the alcohol for a while before Andrea broke the silence. "I'm guessing you know why we're here sir?"

"To some extent," Iceberg admitted as he broke a pastry in front of him for his pet mouse. Andrea had frozen momentarily upon seeing the rodent daintily eat until Iceberg apologized. "He's rather nice and hygienic I promise." The mouse waved a paw as if on cue before continuing to nibble. "Anyways, if you were concerned about the blueprints…"

"We know they're destroyed," Akainu cut off the mayor who was pleasantly surprised that the two marines were not beating around the bush. "We are here about the former CP9 agents. Our information points that three of them were your employees while one was a bartender here."

"That's why you took Spandam," Iceberg guessed to which both marines nodded. "I'll have my secretary bring you the files on my ex-employees."

"Excellent. I shall see to restocking the ship. Andrea," Akainu nudged the female who was sitting at attention. "Wait for the files and ask what you need."

"Of course," she answered with a small smile as Iceberg's secretary showed the admiral out of the company. Andrea sipped a small amount of sake before looking up to the curious mayor. "How is Monkey D. Luffy doing?"


	126. Meetings Galore

Hmm... Going to be a slow moving slightly until Sabody as a lot will focus on the backgrounds

Thanks to my guest reviewer :D I actually enjoy writing couple banter as it reminds me of when me and my husband go back and forth on teamspeak with our friends listening in xD

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 126: Meetings Galore**

Ace stared at the scabbard handed to him and felt tears slightly prick his eye but quickly blinked them back. "So this is my sister's idea?"

"Gave this to me herself," the pirate gave a wane smile as he remembered the kind but feisty female marine. "She's a lot like you," he told the flame logia.

Ace's grip only tightened on the blade's sheath as his heart began to hurt from the confusion of it all. "Give a signal to whoever is on that marine ship. I want to speak to whoever is in charge."

A second later, a bright flash of light indicated that Admiral Kizaru had indeed overheard the whole conversation as he beamed himself onto the Moby Dick. Whitebeard tilted his head back in laughter as his crew instinctively shuffled back from the relaxed light logia who looked at the pirates with slight boredom. "Enlighten me," Kizaru chuckled as he pulled a bottle of sake from his jacket. While Whitebeard cheered at the appearance of more alcohol, Ace was more skeptical.

"Why would my sister trust this," he held up the dagger which was identical to the one on his waist, "to a random admiral and a pirate from Whitebeard's crew? She knows how much this means to me and wouldn't toss it aside so lightly."

"There's more to this situation than the blade, my son." Whitebeard reached out for the sake bottle that Kizaru easily handed over and sampled the alcohol. "Not bad but not my style. Anyway, for a marine to return one of my precious sons to me and an admiral out of any marine to do so means there is something going on."

"Possibly," Kizaru vaguely stated as he glanced around the ship. The commanders of Whitebeard's many divisions were all battle ready and willing to engage the admiral on the ship and while Kizaru knew they were mere pirates, he could not help but admire the loyalty. "You won't know until you agree to meet her, eh?"

"Wait," Ace interrupted as he attempted to charge the admiral. Kizaru easily stepped aside but did not counterattack as that would be seen as somewhat threatening. "Why would my sister want to meet with Pops and not me?"

"Ask her that. I don't presume to know what goes on in Gol D. Andrea's head."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"I apologize if our visit drudged up bad memories, Iceberg-san," Andrea murmured as she poured out some sake for the mayor of Water Seven.

"You got to do your job," he shrugged as he sipped the alcohol slowly. "I should be apologizing that we didn't have the supplies that the admiral required to sail to your next destination."

"Aqua Laguna just came through and we forgot how bad it gets," Andrea admitted with a low chuckle as she looked out the window. The city of water had unsettled her despite the beauty. "I'm just surprised my brother felt so comfortable here with being a devil fruit user."

"Your brother is something else entirely. If it wasn't for the fact I heard from a reliable source he was Dragon's son, I would have pinned him as the pirate king's son." Andrea glanced shiftily around as she swirled her cup of sake.

"Did you know my father's ship was built by your master?" Andrea blurted out in a desperate attempt to change the topic just to realize, it was still vaguely the same topic.

"Oh?" Iceberg paused with his cup halfway to his mouth before placing it back onto the table. "You are a very interesting marine."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Admiral Akainu was supervising the interrogation of Spandam but he knew it was a farce. All it really was now was his troops relieving stress and feeling better about themselves after finding out what this scum had said. "This man was so willing to sacrifice your fellows just for something stupid like a promotion. He had no dreams or visions of anything other than himself."

Just to make it better, the tone dial was played for the entire marine crew of the admiral to hear. One lowly marine even ran up to kick the former CP9 director in his face. "My brother almost died because of you!"

It was to this scene that Andrea arrived to and she could not help but smile. "I wasn't invited? How mean!" She reached for the sword at her hip and rested her hand on the hilt. "I haven't introduced him to my blade properly."

Spandam whimpered as a foul smell indicated he had soiled himself. "Be nice, Andrea-chan." The female marine smiled serenely at her boyfriend who motioned towards a chair. "We have to get any information about where the other agents are. We think they may be sticking together."

"That'll cut down on the hassle of locating them," Andrea agreed as she retrieved a bottle of sake for the bored admiral. "But if they work together as a team, they'll be hard for me. For you of course, is it a challenge?" Andrea asked Akainu who chuckled slightly.

"I might get my hands dirty if they charge me at once…"

Spandam's laughter however interrupted their musing. "They are assassins. They aren't meant to work as a team with fighting."

Andrea jumped to where Spandam was sprawled out which made the weak made whimper suddenly. "If you're holding anything back, I'll get that information out of you."

"Why would I tell you?" he wailed as he started to roll away from the female quickly. "You've done nothing but abuse me!"

"Your existence is a blemish on the World Government," Akainu spat in annoyance as he strode over to the disgraceful CP9 leader. "You should consider yourself lucky you're still alive to squirm."

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way, Sakazuki-kun," Andrea purred evilly as she sheathed her sword. The other marines became silent as they waited for what she had in store and even the admiral was curious at the tone his normally professional in public girlfriend had taken. "Shall I ring up Monkey D. Luffy and arrange for this… vermin to be dropped off as a present to Nico Robin saying congratulations on finding a crew you haven't betrayed and hence condemned?"

If anything could rile up the pathetic shell of a leader that Spandam was, it was that statement. He started to froth at the mouth and attempted to get up but the broken bones he had obtained stopped him from too much movement. "I'll kill you!" he threatened weakly but to no avail as he fell unconscious with the effort of trying to get up.

"Am I cruel for enjoying this?" Andrea asked the marines around her as she nudged Spandam with her boot.


	127. Methods for his Madness

This chapter felt like it wrote itself out rather nicely and I already got the next one planned :D

Thanks to jasje20 for your review! Glad you liked it and happy to see another follow :)

Please note after this chapter and before the next will be another lemon posted offsite as I have done previously

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 127: Methods for his Madness**

"I won't say a thing!" Spandam declared as he hung upside down from the mast of the marine ship. The rope around his ankle might not have been comfortable but he would demand respect from these two marines who felt they had the right to be so dastardly to him.

"I'm going to retrieve the last of the supplies we require," Akainu informed Andrea as he glanced at the former CP9 director with a tinge of irritation. "If you manage to squeeze some information out of him, that would be nice as I'd prefer to leave this area as soon as possible. Too much water around for my liking."

Andrea nodded and gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek but that only nauseated Spandam who felt the need to puke the minute Akainu left. Being tied up to the mast, the only place it could go was down onto the deck. The female marine's head shot up in anger as she screamed at the man, "At this rate, I'm going to cut off your hair and use it as a mop!"

"Fuck you!" Spandam retorted as he dry heaved for a bit before quieting down. Andrea asked a lower marine to politely clean the mess up as she sat down to stare at the defiant man swinging from the mast by his foot. She reclined onto her chair and glanced up at the metal face man who was glaring quite fiercely at her.

"Why won't you just tell us?" Andrea asked as she reached for a bottle of sake to pour a little bit into a small cup. "You don't exactly seem the loyal type."

"I'm not obligated to tell you shit, spawn of Gold Roger!" Spandam roared without regard for who might have been around. Thankfully it was only the admiral's loyal marines around and they merely shrugged after the outburst and resumed cleaning puke off the deck. "Odd how you treat me cruelly yet do you know what that admiral did back at Ohara?"

"Actually yes," Andrea answered quietly but her insides were in turmoil. "I don't need a second hand retelling of it either from a cowardly cur willing to sacrifice thousands of men."

"What would you have done in that instance I wonder," Spandam called out with a sneer. "My father was there and was horrified at what Akainu had done in the past."

Andrea looked down at her hands as she felt as if a vice was squeezing her insides. "A person with forbidden knowledge that could have brought an ancient weapon back to existence was on that ship. I… would have done the same if I was in Sakazuki's position." Spandam's jaw dropped as he looked at the gentle looking marine who was still staring at her hands, now clenched into fists. "So many innocents died but if a weapon was back, many other islands would have suffered."

"How fitting," Spandam scoffed to Andrea's irritation. "You are a cold bitch just like Nico Robin."

Annoyed with how the CP9 director was attempting to manipulate her thoughts against her, Andrea leapt up the mast and touched her sword's hilt threateningly. "And you piss me off something fierce." A second later, she cut the rope that had tied the former director's foot. He fell with a scream and landed on a part of the deck which still had not been cleaned. "Wallow in your misery for a bit," she sneered as she stomped into the cabin that she and Akainu had taken to sharing. She reached for her Den Den Mushi and smiled slightly feeling the shell. "I owe my dear twin a call," she smiled softly as she anticipated his excitement.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"You aren't going to pick that up?" Marco asked Ace who merely glared back at him. Shanks and the marines had taken off already which had done the job of cooling the logia's temper but he still felt slighted.

"Not expecting a call," Ace retorted coldly as he tossed the snail haphazardly into his back. The faint ringing could still be heard and by now, even a few other pirates around was hazarding the son of Roger a cautious glance.

"That's rather harsh," the mythical zoan commented softly just to be met with a flaming fist to the stomach. Luckily he had seen the punch and had kicked back slightly to lessen the impact. "She's still your twin."

"Who has essentially abandoned her family," Ace snarled as he clutched her dagger in his hands. His hands felt like they were about to tear the sheath to pieces from how hard he was gripping it. "If she needed to meet or talk with me so damn badly, she should have done it herself! Not send some idiot admiral to do it for her… What mission was so crucial that she would place family behind that as a priority?"

"Your temper is flaring, my son." Whitebeard sipped some rum as he watched the flames around Ace become more enraged before flickering back down. "When she comes here…"

"It's to meet you, not to visit me!" Ace snapped just to realize that he had back talked his captain, the infamous Whitebeard who had narrowed his eyes dangerously.

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

"It just kept ringing," Andrea sobbed into Akainu's arms as the admiral awkwardly patted her on the back. When he arrived back to his ship with all the supplies, it was to an unconscious Spandam on the deck, his girlfriend crying for a long time if her eyes' puffiness was an indication, and the rancid smell of vomit. Andrea looked up at her boyfriend with her big brown eyes which were still lined with tears. "And on top of it, Spandam still won't talk so we gotta step up the torture."

The magma logia calmly kissed Andrea on the top of her head as he rubbed her back slowly. "We'll leave tomorrow for some of the nearby islands. We might be able to pick up more information."

"Alright," Andrea mumbled into Akainu's chest before pulling back to look at her boyfriend as a devious grin crossed her face. "We should stick Spandam in the rooms below our cabin. The floor is thin," she giggled as she waggled her eyebrows. The admiral could not help the laugh that followed as he pulled his girlfriend towards him in a deep kiss.


	128. Dreams of Possibilities

I had fun with this chapter and the next will be just as kooky :p

As always, a big thanks to jasje20 for your review! It feels too fun to be mean to Spandam lol

Remember my lovely readers there is a lemon before this chapter. To access it, go to my profile and scroll down to this story summary within :) Those worried about possible plot: the reason behind sex at first was to torture Spandam but they get lost in the physicality + Akainu trying hard to be considerate in their relationship :o

I do not own One Piece - **that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 128: Dreams of Possibilities**

Akainu groaned as he sat up in the bed. Andrea was draped across him like a dead weight, happily snoring away. However, he felt a presence that demanded attention and gently scooted his girlfriend to the side of the bed and wrapped her in blankets to keep her warm and comfortable. He did not even get out of the bed when an unfamiliar voice called out, "So you're the one sleeping with my sister."

The admiral shot straight to marine mode complete with magmaized fist when he saw a tall, pale blond leaning against the cabin door. His eyebrows shot further up upon realization that the youth before him was partially transparent. Deciding asking what he was would be highly rude, the admiral schooled his expression. "Who are you?" he asked tentatively.

"I do appreciate you covering her up. Consideration is rare among men such as yourself." The admiral raised a thin brow in a mixture of curiosity and hostility at the tone the blond youth spoke with. "I'm not surprised you don't know of me. Talking about dead family never goes over easy."

"Well, I suppose it's nice to meet you," the admiral greeted politely with a nod. "I'd shake your hand but I don't know how that works."

The blond apparition chuckled with amusement. "The effort is what counts. Anyways, anyone can see how apprehensive you are with regards to Andrea." Akainu glanced back to his sleeping girlfriend who was now sprawled on her back happily snoring away. "Don't worry; she won't wake up until I allow her to."

"What are you planning?" Akainu growled as he almost leapt out in alarm as the ghostly youth drifted towards him.

"Showing you yet another way things could have happened," he explained before smiling. "Oh and by the way, my name is Sabo." He flicked the admiral in the forehead which sent him back into bed asleep.

* * *

-The dream-

* * *

Akainu opened his eyes and felt pain all over his body. He felt some blood and winced realizing that some of it was his own implying he was in a tough fight with a person who could actually use Haki. Realizing his arm was magma, he looked just to see him withdraw it from a person's chest. To his horror, Andrea's twin Ace was falling to the ground as his logia powers could not match Akainu's more powerful devil fruit especially when reinforced with Haki. On the ground next to him, he noticed the Straw Hat captain, Luffy stare at him with horror but a familiar voice is what caught the admiral's attention. "What the fuck did you do to my brother? Marine scum!"

He dodged the blow which was faster than he anticipated it but the control was lax when he saw it. The attacker was a woman with short hair that the admiral remembered Andrea babbling was a 'pixie cut'. Attached to her right arm was an icy gauntlet that looked almost like a claw but the outfit she was wearing shocked the marine to the core. She had a very revealing top that had a rip down the middle exposing cleavage while her skirt was very short just barely being long enough to cover her behind. Akainu could not help but check out the woman as he realized the instant she sent a kick towards him and he blocked instinctively with Haki that this was Andrea. Her long boots bounced off his body and the female scowled just to be confused by the intrigued look she was being sent. "Andrea-chan… what's wrong with you?"

Andrea however glanced at him with annoyance as her left hand drifted to her dagger at her waist. "Who the fuck do you think you are talking to me so familiarly?" she snarled but before she could attempt to avenge her twin, a voice called out.

"Get away from him, Andrea! Don't be a fool!" Glancing towards the voice, Akainu scowled as he recognized the Red Hair known as Shanks. He looked back to Andrea who was looking rather miffed at being ordered to stand down but to actually see her comply so readily was astonishing. "Now get back here, young lady. We should realize that their deaths should not be in vain but Ace wouldn't want you to throw your life away."

"You realize my twin was killed for his lineage then on top of that, Whitebeard is dead too?" Andrea barked just to be subdued by a rather fierce look from the Yonko. "Marco and the others… they suffered a lot of loss and we're just going to let the marines have this victory?"

"Andrea, you're a marine too you know." The glare Akainu received was rather cold and harsh yet surprisingly not from the female herself but from the rather murderous redhead next to her.

"Why would my girlfriend, the infamous 'Ambassador of the Yonko' join the marines?" Before Akainu could sputter disbelief, he saw the familiar ghostly blond appear next to him.

"This is just a taste of what could be…" Sabo reached out comfortingly before steering Akainu out of the dream and back to reality. "I can't deliver the life lesson in one go otherwise you'd out sleep Andrea which is feat worthy of One Piece."

Before Akainu could ask, he was shoved into a great darkness before opening his eyes and realizing he was back in his cabin as if nothing had happened. Andrea was still sprawled next to him snoring softly but she rolled next to him and threw her arm over him. Although confused, Akainu held her next to him and wondered about this pirate version his girlfriend could have been. "Andrea," the admiral attempted to nudge the female awake just to receive a groan in response.

"Let me sleep," she whined into his chest as she rolled onto him. Her hair had fluffed up from the tossing and turning she had done.

"How did Sabo die?" he quickly asked but what he did not expect was for her to tense up. She glanced at her palm and her eyes narrowed seeing it glow brightly in the dimly lit cabin.

"That sneaky bastard talked to you too?"


	129. More Methods

This felt really easy to write o.O I could not stop! :D

Thanks to Guest for your review. I had fun writing Sabo :)

I do not own One Piece -** that is property of Eiichiro Oda**

* * *

**Chapter 129: More Methods **

"I'll have your heads for this!" Spandam raged as he ran across the water best that he could. Around his chest was a rope harness but he had been warned that to attempt to free himself would result in him being on the menu of a passing sea king. Being close to the rudder did not help the former CP9 director's nerves as he was being thoroughly soaked.

"Interesting," Akainu commented as he glanced down from the ship to look at Spandam. "What did he do to rouse your temper?"

"Nothing so much," Andrea admitted as he turned away from the back of the ship to glance at her boyfriend. "Just… being asked in the morning about my dead brother really didn't put me in the best of spirits you know?"

"For that I apologize." The female marine smiled softly at her boyfriend's apology but she pecked him on the cheek.

"No worries. We shouldn't take long to get to our destination correct?"

"By sea train, roughly an hour but by boat a bit longer than that. We'll begin by scouting the islands around Water Seven as without a boat or government resources, I highly doubt that the various agents could go too far anyway. You were able to obtain information about their fighting styles correct?"

"Yeah," Andrea mumbled as she looked down in embarrassment. "From my research, I could likely only take down the three weakest members by myself."

Akainu flicked her softly in the forehead, causing the female marine to flinch in surprise. "Why else do you think I'm here?" The admiral bent over to place a soft kiss on her forehead which caused a few of the nearby marines to whistle with good cheer. "Heh. I'm not just here to drop you off and come back. The more powerful agents I will take care of."

"Do they actually have to die?" Andrea asked as her gaze could not help but go back to Spandam who was flailing in the water as his wet clothing was becoming heavy. "He's the one who was ordering them to do his bidding and as subordinates they would not have been able to do anything without him sending scores of marines after them."

"Make no mistake," Akainu grunted as he looked at the rough ocean around them. "I believe that we should follow our orders but he was saying and ordering things disastrous to the whole government and exploiting those higher up than him. He even used Aokiji's name as a source of influence."

"But should the rest of CP9 suffer?" She received a cold glare from her boyfriend who sighed after a minute before softening his gaze.

"They still committed those crimes and also agreeing to potentially damage the precarious agreement the World Government had with Iceberg is dangerous. I don't think they should die either but what other options do we have?"

"They could… join us?" Andrea suggested just to receive a scoff.

"You aren't a pirate captain able to recruit whoever you want to join your side." Akainu sighed as thoughts swirled in his head, making hard to think. "Take it easy please. I'm going to take a nap."

Andrea's jaw dropped as she watched the burly admiral trudge back to his cabin. "That's odd… I've never known him to idly nap."

"Neither have we, Andrea-san." A few other nearby marines confirmed the oddity of the admiral's behavior which made the female shrug.

"Feels like I'm hanging with Kuzan," Andrea thought with confusion as she reached for her Den Den Mushi. "Meh. Time to try to call Ace again."

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Marco stared at the Den Den Mushi with apprehension as it started to ring. Ace had simply risen up and hurled himself over the side of the Moby Dick onto his little ship and took off, leaving the mythical logia with the ringing snail. Apprehensively, he picked it up. "Hello?"

A female sigh was heard which only made him feel worse. "Ace is avoiding me isn't he?"

"I wish I could say he wasn't but I don't like lying to a lady." A small giggle erupted from the snail that made the zoan feel a little better.

"Tell Ace if he doesn't call me soon, that I'm just going to show up randomly to have a drink with Whitebeard. Who knows… maybe I'll have Shanks help me."

Marco's brow scrunched as he thought on her words. "Aren't you a marine?"

"But I'm also the daughter of Gol D. Roger and I've known Shanks since I was a kid. I'm sure he won't give a damn about what uniform I'm wearing."

Marco chortled slightly as he reached for some rum. He definitely would need some to explain how delicate and strained relations where between Yonko and the marines. "That admiral… Kizaru or whatever his name is caused quite a panic when he returned one of our crewmates. I heard that he living was your doing however."

"Perhaps." The first division commander could hear a slight smirk on the woman's lips and knew that this definitely was Ace's twin. "I wouldn't think I had that much significance but I don't mind a little acknowledgement. You are Marco correct?"

* * *

-Meanwhile-

* * *

Akainu had seen Sabo's spirit hovering above him when Andrea was talking about the CP9 agents being innocent of association with Spandam but when he realized that she could not see her brother, he had held his tongue. Sabo had not made things easier when for emphasis, he made shushing motions. "She can't see me anyway."

When Akainu made the excuse of napping, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the ethereal spirit had followed him into his cabin. "Why the hell are you back? You already showed me a potential vision of what could have been."

"Testy…" Sabo commented before reclining midair. "Are you mad at me showing up again or at the fact that my dear sister may be sympathetic towards those government agents?"

The admiral frowned and hesitated with his answer. "I don't know. Orders are orders but…" He paused as he glanced back to the door where he knew that she would still be standing out there in confusion. "She's changing me," he answered quietly as he closed his eyes in disbelief.

"Maybe or maybe not. You've had your effect on her so possibly is she softening your edges?" Akainu merely stared back at the pale reflection of Sabo before the ghost sighed. "You need another vision it seems to see how things could be."

"Not again… I'd rather not see my girlfriend as a slutty pirate again."

"But there, she isn't your girlfriend. One simple event that was averted happened in that possibility and this is one result." Before Akainu could ask Sabo to clarify, the ghost flicked the admiral's forehead, sending him to sleep.

* * *

-The Dream-

* * *

Akainu opened his eyes to see the pirate version of Andrea glaring up at him. Her right hand was encased in some odd sort of metallic mitt while her arms where chained to the wall. He saw he was sitting at a desk before realizing he was in the prison part of Marineford where he had made Andrea interrogate the prisoners. "Are you done daydreaming so we can get this shit over with?" the pirate snipped rudely as she eyed the marine admiral before her with barely concealed annoyance.

"You seem awfully eager to get away from me," the admiral quietly noted as he took in her condition. A few scruffs and bruises were visible but no major scrapes were seen.

"Trust me, handing myself over so that my brother and his captain could get a decent burial was acceptable but that doesn't mean I'll instantly cooperate with marine scum." The irritation was clear in both her voice and expression but her eyes softened slightly at Akainu's silence. "I don't want to sound sympathetic but are you ok? You seem like you're a million miles away."

"In a way I am," the magma logia answered vague as he stared at his hand. He saw Andrea's eyes were also drawn to it and he chuckled slightly. "Why an ice attack?" he asked suddenly only to see Andrea immediately tense. "Your right palm is capable of other devil fruit powers so I have to wonder why just that one?"

"How the fuck do you know what I can do?" she roared as she pulled against the chains. The metal clinked ominously as she glared at the admiral. "Only a handful of people know of my… condition and my brother Luffy isn't one of them. How would an admiral I had never met before know about this part of me but not that I am the Ambassador of the Yonko?"

"Your ice powers weren't as refined as it could be however," Akainu conceded with interest as he closed his eyes to remember that other dream. "Your speed and power though was impressive."

"Who… are you?" Andrea asked as she drew close to the wall as she saw Akainu stand up from the chair and enter her half of the room. The magma logia reached for a key that he knew was in his pocket and went over to her chains. She scooted away from him in fear as scenarios suddenly raced through the young pirate's mind. She had heard stories of corrupt marines and unfortunate female pirates and the thought that this could be here made it feel like ice was flowing through her veins. To her surprise however, he reached over for both the metallic mitt and the chains and simply unlocked them. The chains clanked harmlessly back onto the wall while the mitt thudded harmlessly on the ground.

"Go attend their funeral," he murmured softly was he ran a hand through her hair. Andrea shivered in surprise but did not recoil or draw back. "I would like it however if you came back after the preparations finish."

"Why would I do such a thing?" she asked cautiously as the admiral handed her some clothing. "I could just leave and never be seen here again."

"You could…" Akainu admitted as he sighed heavily. Again Andrea's eyes did not sharpen at the admiral's behavior. Her suspicion was still obvious but at the same time, she could not help but be curious as to the oddity of this admiral.

"I've heard you were a harsh, unforgiving man… After Whitebeard's death and my brothers, I was certainly ready to accept that. You're just plain fucking weird. You actually remind me of Kuzan."

Akainu groaned as even facepalmed in despair. "I'll even give you a little boat if you don't mention that again." Andrea smiled softly and accepted a few keys and Beri from the admiral but the minute their fingers touched, an odd spark happened between the two of them. Andrea's eyes suddenly widened as if realization surged through her while Akainu's heart was tightening as he swore that this version of his girlfriend was more similar to his own that he realized. Sabo appeared behind her and smiled softly as everything around the two men faded slightly. Opening his eyes, the admiral saw he was back into his cabin.

"You're an interesting man. I think I might even approve of you before we're done," Sabo smiled slightly at the now befuddled admiral.

"You're coming back?" Akainu asked but Sabo vanished on him. Cursing, the admiral strode out of his cabin and saw to his surprise that Spandam was tied to a chair and being forced to listen to Andrea banter back and forth with an unknown man on her Den Den Mushi.

"And then…" the voice wheezed as it was being seized with laughter. "Ace fell asleep in the middle of the drinking contest and I swear he even drinks like a fish! Even passed out in that booze, he was still drinking and everything!"

"Ah… my brother's maturity I have underestimated but the comedic effect is worth it I suppose." Andrea smiled happily at the burly admiral who felt his heart get lighter after hearing her laughter. "I'll talk to you another time Marco. Thanks for offering to kick my brother's ass."

"Bye!"

She hung up the snail and smirked at Spandam who was practically frothing at the mouth. "She's associating with the most dangerous type of pirate! The daughter of Gol D. Roger is a harlot convinced she can scam the World Government into believing the filth spewing from her disgusting mouth."

To Andrea's surprise, Akainu backhanded the former CP9 director who was staring wide eyed as at the admiral's action. "You are really close to seeing your life come to an untimely end," he threatened darkly as his fist started to manifest his powers.

"A traitor to the cause," Spandam murmured softly as he stared at the devil fruit power with worry. "They'll listen to me… They must listen to me!"

"I'll call Sengoku and get permission for us to just off this guy?" Andrea offered but she was still surprised how angry her boyfriend had gotten. _What the fuck happened during his nap?_

"Just throw him in his room," Akainu grunted to a few nearby marines who were all too happy to oblige. When everyone was out of earshot, he pulled Andrea to him closely and whispered quietly into her ear. "I'll trust your judgment and your sense of justice."

Andrea's heart beat rapidly as she processed the admiral's words. "So… we don't just have to kill them?"

"We'll see," he commented lightly as he held her hand for a minute before tugging her to the mess hall.

_I hope we get to land soon… Sakazuki-kun is acting weird._


End file.
